-p  .,  ._, ,_  ,   WASHINGTON.  D.C 
/   I,  J  /  ^,'  U  .  S  .  A. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

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PAN A  M  A 
CANAL 

WHAT     IT      IS 
WHAT    IT   MEANS 


Copyright  by  Joseph  Pennell 

END   OF   DAY,  GATUN  LOCK 

This  sketch  was  made  by  Joseph  Pennell  while  workmen  were  quitting  work  for  the  day 

By  permission  of  Joseph  Pennell  and  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


PANAMA 
CANAL 

WHAT  IT  IS 
WHAT  IT  MEANS 


E^L    OF    THE    PAN    AMERICA 


CAN    UNION 

U.  S.  Minister  to  Siam  (1894-98);  Special  Commissioner  in  Asia 
(1898-99);  U.  S.  Delegate  to  Second  Pan  American  Conference 
(1901-02);  Commissioner  General  to  Asia  and  Australia  of  the  St. 
Louis  World's  Fair  (1902-3);  U.  S.  Minister  to  Argentina  (1903-4); 
U.S.  Minister  to  Panama  ( 1904-;';  U.S.  Minister  to  Colombia  (1905-6:; 
Elected  by  the  Twenty-one  American  Republics,  in  1906,  as  the 
Executive  Officer  of  the  "Bureau  of  American  Republics"  (changed 
by  international  agreement  to  "Pan  American  Union"  in  1910), 
which  position  he  has  since  held. 


PAN   AMERICAN    UNION 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

U.  S.  A. 
1913 


DEDICATED   TO 

COLONEL   GEORGE    WASHINGTON    GOETHALS 

AND   HIS   FELLOW   WORKERS,  THE   MAN   AND   MEN 
WHO   ARE   DOING   IT 


THE  Pan  American  Union  is  an 
international  organization  and  office 
maintained  by  the  twenty-one  American 
republics  (the  United  States  and  its  twenty 
sister  nations :  Argentina,  Bolivia,  Brazil, 
Chile,  Colombia,  Costa  Rica,  Cuba, 
Dominican  Republic,  Ecuador,  Guatemala, 
Haiti,  Honduras,  Mexico,  Nicaragua, 
Panama,  Paraguay,  Peru,  Salvador,  Uru- 
guay, and  Venezuela),  controlled  by  a 
Governing  Board  composed  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  State  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Diplomatic  Representatives  in  Washington 
of  the  other  American  nations,  administered 
by  a  Director  General  and  Assistant 
Director  chosen  by  this  Board  and  assisted 
by  a  staff  of  statisticians,  compilers,  trade 
experts,  translators,  editors,  librarians  and 
clerks,  and  devoted  to  the  development  of 
commerce,  friendly  intercourse,  good 
understanding,  and  peace  among  all  the 
American  republics. 


^i  157954 


Copyright,  i»13,  by  John  Barrett,  Washington,  D.  c 


FOREWORD 

THIS  little  handbook  has  been  prepared  to  meet  a  special 
demand.  The  widespread  and  growing  popular  interest 
in  the  Panama  Canal  and  the  great  number  of  persons 
visiting  the  Isthmus  have  caused  a  heavy  call  to  be  made  upon 
the  Pan  American  Union  for  the  information  which  it  contains. 

As  the  Pan  American  Union  is  the  international  organization 
and  bureau  of  information  maintained  at  Washington  by  all  the 
twenty-one  American  republics,  including  the  United  States  and 
the  twenty  Latin  American  countries,  for  the  purpose  of  develop- 
ing greater  commerce,  better  acquaintance,  more  intercourse, 
and  permanent  peace  among  them,  and  as  the  Panama  Canal 
will  be  a  potent  influence  in  accomplishing  these  ends,  it  is  fitting 
that  such  a  handbook  should  be  published  under  its  auspices. 
It  should  be  understood,  however,  that  the  Pan  American  Union 
is  not  officially  responsible  for  any  errors  which  may  have  inad- 
vertently crept  into  the  text  or  for  any  opinions  expressed  or 
policies  advocated  in  its  pages. 

It  simply  endeavors  to  answer  in  compact,  succinct  form  the 
majority  of  questions  which  are  asked,  not  only  by  those  who, 
unable  to  go  to  Panama,  desire  to  know  more  about  the  canal 
and  what  it  means,  but  by  those  who,  in  going  there,  wish  to 
learn  ahead  what  they  will  see  or  confirm  afterwards  what  they 
have  seen.  It  is  also  intended  to  be  useful  to  schools,  colleges, 
libraries,  and  clubs  where  classes  are  being  formed  to  study  the 
canal,  its  meaning  and  efi^ect.  It  should  be  likewise  valuable  for 
general  reference. 

It  has  been  compiled  under  the  supervision  of  the  Director 
General  of  the  Pan  American  Union,  who  was  United  States 
Minister  to  Panama  at  the  beginning  of  the  work  on  the  canal 
in  1 904- 1 905,  assisting  in  the  diplomatic  negotiations  establishing 
the  first  relations  of  the  government  of  Panama  and  that  of  the 
Canal  Zone.  Since  then,  at  other  posts  and  in  his  present  posi- 
tion, he  has  not  only  endeavored  to  follow  closely  the  construc- 
tion of  the  canal  but  to  study  constantly  its  possible  effect  upon 
the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  American  republics.     As  he 


has  also  been  Minister  to  two  other  Latin  American  countries, 
Argentina  and  Colombia,  as  well  as  delegate  to  the  Second  Pan 
American  Conference  in  Mexico,  and,  prior  to  that  service,  Min- 
ister to  Siam  in  southern  Asia,  and  Commissioner  General  of  the 
St.  Louis  World's  Fair  to  Asia  and  Australia,  he  has  actual 
acquaintance  with  the  countries  and  commerce  affected  by  the 
Panama  Canal. 

It  is  impossible  within  the  space  limitations  of  a  book  of  this 
kind  to  do  full  justice  to  the  Panama  Canal,  what  it  is  and  what 
it  means,  but  as  much  information  as  possible  of  a  practical  and 
interesting  character  has  been  included. 

Without  trespassing  in  any  way  upon  the  field  of  the  Isthmian 
Canal  Commission,  the  Pan  American  Union  has  endeavored  to 
meet  a  popular  want  of  the  hour  coming  under  its  official  atten- 
tion. It  expresses  appreciation  of  the  assistance  which  it  has 
received  from  the  office  of  the  Canal  Commission  in  Washington 
and  of  the  data  obtained  not  only  from  the  general  reports  and 
publications  of  the  Commission  and  the  addresses  and  articles  of 
Col.  Goethals,  but  from  the  handbook  of  the  Commission  and 
the  Canal  Record  edited  by  Joseph  Bucklin  Bishop,  Secretary 
of  the  Commission.  It  is  also  indebted  to  William  P.  Northrup 
of  Buffalo  for  valuable  cooperation  in  the  make-up  of  the  book, 
and  to  Joseph  Pennell  for  the  use  of  the  frontispiece. 


MEDAL  GIVEN  TO  ALL  EMPLOYES  ON  THE  CANAL  "GOLD  ROLL"  FOR  TWO 
YEARS    OF   CONTINUOUS   SERVICE 

Left:   Head  of  Ex-President  Roosevelt;    right:   Culebra  Cut 


^^'  |PANAMA|    • 

iCy\l\fy\Li  ^ 


l\X/HAT  IT  ISl 
WHAT  IT  MEANS 

JUST  where   are   Panama,    the    Canal    Zone,    and   the   Canal 
itself? 
These   seem  like  simple   questions    and   yet  few  persons 
can  answer  them  correctly  offhand. 

As  we  nearly  all  feel  the  fascination  of  geography  and  enjoy 
studying  maps  in  order  to  locate  the  countries  and  places  which 
we  either  visit  or  read  about,  let  us  at  the  start  have  before  us  a 
few  plain  but  interesting  facts  and  figures. 

To  find  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  on  the  map  which  we  carry  in  the 
mind's  eye,  it  is  well  to  consider  its  location  in  reference  to  some 
representative  cities  or  points  in  different  sections  of  the  world. 

In  its  relation  to  the  United  States  we  can  best  locate  it  by 
using  a  little  imagination.  New  York  City  is  cut  by  the  north 
and  south  Meridian  of  longitude  which  is  74  degrees  west  of 
Greenwich.  Washington,  the  capital,  is  at  77  degrees.  Toronto, 
Canada;  Buffalo,  New  York;  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania ;  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina;  and  Palm  Beach,  Florida,  are  almost  on 
the  line  of  80  degrees,  which  cuts  directly  through  Panama  and 
is  coincident  with  the  western  boundary  of  the  Canal  Zone  where 
it  begins  on  the  Atlantic  side.  In  other  words,  if  a  plumb  line 
could  be  dropped  2,000  miles  directly  south  from  the  top  of  Pitts- 
burgh's loftiest  skyscraper  it  might,  if  it  swayed  a  trifle,  bump 
against  Col.  Goethal's  house  on  Culebra  Hill. 

Located  by  steamer  routes,  Colon,  the  Atlantic  entrance  to  the 
canal,  is  approximately  2,000  miles  slightly  west  of  south  of  New 
York,  1,400  miles  quite  a  little  east  of  south  of  New  Orleans,  a 
little  less  than  1,000  miles  almost  due  south  from  Kpy  West,  and 
3,250  miles  due  southeast  from  San  Francisco. 

The  two  illustrations  above  are  of  Isidore  Konti's  statues,"  Spirit  of  the  Atlantic"  and  "  Spirit  of  the  Pacific." 


A     T    L     A     N    T    t     C 


OCEAN 


IMAGINARY  AEROPLANE   VIEW   OF  CANAL   FIFTY  MILES   LONG    FROM 
OCEAN   TO    OCEAN 


10 


The  above  map  shows  at  a  glance  what  the  canal  means  to  the  transportation  routes  of  the  Western  Hemisphere  and  the 
world.  Especially  should  it  be  noted  that  the  entire  Pacific  coast  of  South  America  is  directly  south  from  the  canal  and  the 
entire  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States.  It  also  shows  how  the  canal  actually  cuts,  at  the  strategic  and  commercial 
geographical  center,  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts  of  North  and  South  America. 


Traveling  direct  from  England  or  Northern  Europe,  Colon  is 
approximately  4,600  miles  due  southwest.  From  Yokohama,  a 
vessel  to  reach  Panama  on  the  Pacific  side  would  steam  7,800 
miles  slightly  south  of  east;  from  Sydney,  Australia,  8,000  miles 
northwest;  from  Valparaiso,  Chile,  on  the  west  coast  ot  South 
America,  2,600  miles  almost  due  north. 

We  are  so  much  in  the  habit  of  considering  "Panama"  and 
the  "Canal"  practically  as  synonyms  that  we  do  not  slop  to 
remember  that  the  Republic  of  Panama  is  a  country  of  conse- 
quence and  has  a  considerable  reach  of  map  lines.  Panama  as 
a  nation  boasts  of  32,000  square  miles,  or  an  area  close  to  that 
of  either  Indiana  or  Maine.  Its  extreme  length  is  430  miles  or 
nearly  equal  to  the  distance  from  Boston  to  Baltimore.  Its 
average  width  is  70  miles  or  equal  to  that  of  the  State  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. It  begins  at  ']^\  degrees  west  on  the  boundary  of 
Colombia  in  South  America  and  extends  to  83  degrees  west  to 
Costa  Rica  in  Central  America.  It  lies  between  7^  degrees  and 
9I  degrees  north  latitude,  or  about  500  miles  north  of  the  equator. 

To  understand  the  peculiar  layout  of  the  Canal  Zone,  a  strip 
of  land  10  miles  wide  from  the  Atlantic  to  Pacific  through  which 
the  canal  runs  and  which  is  under  the  absolute  control  of  the 
United  States,  we  must  realize  that  the  Isthmus  is  not  a  North 
and  South  but  an  East  and  West  neck  of  land  connecting  North 
and  South  America,  with  a  northerly  or  upward  turn  where 
the  canal  crosses.  This  makes  Colon,  the  Atlantic  terminus  of  the 
canal,  nearly  20  miles  west  of  Panama,  the  Pacific  terminus,  and 
causes  the  canal  to  run  from  the  northwest  to  southeast  in  con- 
necting an  eastern  sea  with  a  western  ocean!  It  also  gives  the 
traveler  or  stranger  the  surprising  experience  of  looking  from  his 
Tivoli  hotel  window  at  Panama  City  in  the  early  morning  and 
seeing  the  sun  rise  directly  before  him  out  of  the  Pacific  Ocean! 

The  Isthmus  is  only  about  40  miles  wide,  as  the  condor  flies, 
from  the  Caribbean  to  the  Pacific,  but  the  turns  of  the  canal 
make  its  channel  50  miles  from  deep  water  to  deep  water.  There 
is  one  other  place  between  the  Bay  of  San  Bias  to  the  east  of 
Colon  and  the  Bay  of  Panama  where  the  Isthmus  narrows  to 
about  30  miles,  but  the  continental  divide  is  higher  and  the  lay 
of  the  land  not  suitable  for  a  canal.  The  lowest  point  of  the 
Cordillera,  which  reach  in  a  majestic  barrier  for  10,000  miles  from 

15 


'f  m  p  if  y*|i^r^.5^ 


>>tKr,- 


ARCHITECT'S  SKETCH  OF   NEW  WASHINGTON  HOTEL,  FACING  CARRIBEAN  SEA 

the  Yukon  River  in  Alaska  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan  in  southern 
Chile,  will  be  at  the  bottom  of  the  Culebra  cut,  which,  when  the 
canal  is  completed,  will  be  exactly  40  feet  above  sea  level.  And 
yet  not  far  away  in  Panama  are  mountains  rising  nearly  10,000 
feet  into  the  clouds  as  if  to  protest  against  man's  humbling  of 
their  might  with  an  artificial  waterway. 

Not  far  from  Culebra  is  the  famous  Balboa  hill,  over  1,000  feet 
high,  from  the  summit  of  which  it  is  alleged  the  great  discoverer 
after  whom  it  is  named  first  saw  the  Pacific  Ocean,  September 
25,  1513.  I  would  not  advise  the  tourist  to  undertake  to  climb 
this  hill  even  though  from  the  near-by  distance  it  does  not  look  dif- 
ficult, for  the  remembrance  of  my  efforts,  when  I  was  United 
States  Minister  to  Panama,  to  scale  its  jungle-grown  sides  made 
me  doubt  whether  Mr.  Balboa  ever  undertook  to  climb  it  except 
in  the  mind  of  the  imaginative  historians!  The  way  the  red  bugs 
for  a  month  afterwards  destroyed  the  peace  of  my  soul  as  well  as 
irritated  my  body  from  their  burrowed  homes  in  the  flesh  of  my 
legs  and  feet  made  me  also  wonder  if  the  experiences  of  Balboa 
and  his  followers  in  crossing  the  Isthmus  in  those  days  were  not 
conducive  to  his  using  swear  words  when  he  took  possession  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean  in  the  name  of  Spain. 

Akin  to  geography  are  physical  characteristics,  products, 
peoples,  and  climate.  To  better  understand  the  canal,  we  must 
take  a  passing  glance  at  more  details  than  those  already  given  of 


16 


Panama  as  a  country.     To  do  it  justice,  it  is  deserving  of  credit 
for  many  other  features  than  that  oi  being  the  home  of  the  world's 
greatest  engineering  undertaking.     With  a  population  approach- 
ing 400,000,  with  an  an- 
nual foreign  trade  valued 
at    nearly    ^11,000,000, 
with  considerable  areas  of 
excellent  agricultural 
land,  with  extensive  for- 
ests   of   valuable    timber, 
with    no    arid    sections, 
with     numerous    water- 
power    possibilities,    with 
an    interior   which    needs 
only   railways   and   high- 
ways to  permit  of  a  de- 
'"^'r     velopment  equal   to   that 
"%,     of  Florida  or  Louisiana, 
and  with  a  climate  which, 
•  -A     owing  to  the  narrowness 
of  the    Isthmus,   is   more 
salubrious    than    that    of 
many  countries  farther  away  from  the  equator,  and  with  a  pro- 
portion of  inhabitants  not  one-fifth   of  what   it   can    eventually 
support,  Panama   is,  indeed,  a  land  of  actual  attraction  and  no 
small  potentialities. 

It  is  producing  and  selling  to  the  United  States  and  Europe, 
in  increasing  quantities,  bananas,  cocoanuts,  cacao,  or  chocolate 
beans,    sarsaparilla,    coffee,    sugar,    pineapples,    alligator    pears. 


POINT  TORO   BREAKWATER 

Atlantic  Entrance  to  Canal 


DOCKS   AND   WHARVES   AT   COLON 
17 


medlar  juice,  ipecac,  indigo,  ivory  nuts  (out  of  which  most  of  our 
buttons  are  made),  rubber,  mahogany,  cocobolo  wood,  hides  and 
skins,  pearls  and  mother  of  pearl,  tortoise  shell,  etc.  Its  real 
mineral  wealth  has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  studied  and  exploited 
to  permit  of  a  positive  conclusion,  but  there  are  many  evidences 
of  the  presence  of  the  precious  metals  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
pay  for  their  development  when  transportation  conditions  are 
improved.  Manganese  iron  ore  and  coal  deposits  have  been 
located,  while  recent  reports  indicate  that  petroleum  can  also  be 
found.  Capital  and  continued  geological  investigation  alone  can 
actually  determine  what  Panama  has  in  store  in  these  great 
resources,  but  frequently,  during  my  stay  as  American  Minister 
at  Panama,  samples  of  minerals,  metals,  and  oil  were  brought  to 
me  from  various  interior  points  which  caused  me  to  recommend 
that  a  thorough  geological  and  metallurgical  study  should  be 
made  of  the  Isthmus.  If  oil  and  coal  of  good  quality  can  be  found 
there  in  large  quantities,  they  will  add  greatly  to  the  popularity 
and  economy  of  the  Panama  Canal  route. 

Panama's  chief  opportunity  which  would  appeal  to  foreigners 
seems  now  to  lie  in  cattle  raising  and  fruit  growing.     Along  a 

large  portion  of  the  Pacific  side 
of  the  Isthmus  and  in  some  parts 
of  the  Atlantic  side  as  well  as  in 
the  plateau  districts  between  the 
two  are  broad  savannas  or  open 
areas  where  cattle  easily  graze  and 
readily  fatten.  There  is  no  good 
reason  why  Panama  should  not 
eventually  supply  all  the  meat 
required  by  vessels  using  the 
canal,  as  well  as  by  its  own  in- 
creasing population  and  that  of 
the  Canal  Zone.  Fruit  growing, 
especially  bananas  and  other 
fruits  for  which  there  is  such  an 
overwhelming  demand  in  the 
United  States,  is  proceeding 
apace  and  rapidly  converting 
large  sections,    principally   upon 


coiAMBi's  .\i()Nlmp:n't  at 

CRISTOBAL 


FRONT  STREET,  COLON,  AND  PANAMA  RAILROAD  TERMINUS 

the  Atlantic  side,  which  were  once  malarial  and  mosquito-ridden, 
into  real  gardens  and  homes  of  healthy  people.  With  the  lessons 
in  sanitation  before  Panama,  which  have  been  taught  by  the 
builders  of  the  canal,  who  have  proved  conclusively  that  the 
tropics  can  be  made  healthy,  I  believe  from  long  official  experi- 
ence in  the  tropics  of  both  Asia  and  America  that  Panama  has 
a  prosperous  and  interesting  future  ahead  of  her  aside  from  being 
the  site  and  environment  of  the  canal. 


CLIMATE  AND  HEALTH  CONDITIONS 
If  the  present  new  hotel  conditions  at  Panama  and  Colon  are 
continued  and  enlarged  as  travel  may  demand,  I  see  many  rea- 
sons why  the  Isthmus  should  become  and  always  remain  a  popular 
winter  resort.  From  the  first  of  December  until  the  end  of  March 
the  heat  is  not  oppressive  if  one  keeps  out  of  the  sun  or  protects 
himself  with  an  umbrella  or  large  hat  in  the  middle  hours  of  the 
day  from  eleven  to  three,  while  the  nights  are  always  comfortable 
at  that  season.  During  other  months,  Panama  might  not  be 
selected  as  a  resort,  but  if  the  traveler  or  visitor  uses  a  little  mental 
philosophy  together  with  common  sense  in  dressing,  eating,  and 
drinking,  in  reference  to  the  heat,  he  will  be  astonished  to  find 
how  agreeably  he  gets  along,  how  little  he  minds  it,  and  how  well 
he  keeps.     In  fact,  many  persons  who  hate  the  heat  of  the  tropics 

19 


and  revile  them  during  their  first  experience  learn  to  like  them 
and  return  to  them,  attracted  forever  by  their  mysterious  charm. 

If  the  skeptical  individual  w^ho  reads  this  will  stop  long  enough 
on  the  Isthmus  to  visit  in  their  homes  and  come  into  actual  personal 
contact  with  the  representative  men  and  women  serving  Uncle 
Sam  in  the  Canal  Zone,  he  will  be  surprised  at  the  remarkable 
health,  energy,  and  cheerfulness  displayed  by  them,  provided  they 
have  resided  there  long  enough  to  know  the  tropics  and  how  to 
live.  Exceptions  will,  of  course,  be  found,  but  they  are  rare. 
I  do  not  contend  for  a  moment  that  Panama  should  or  would  be 
selected  as  a  permanent  residence  in  preference  to  one  in  the 
temperate  climate,  or  that  in  the  long  run,  all  things  being  equal, 
a  man  can  expect  to  enjoy  life  or  keep  as  well  and  vigorous  there 
as  in  cooler  climates,  but  I  simply  want  the  tropics  and  Panama 
to  get  a  square  deal!  Having  spent  seven  years  in  the  tropics  of 
Southern  Asia  and  America,  including  many  trips  of  adventure 
and  exploration  into  pathless  jungles,  and  having  never  been  ill 
a  day  from  any  tropical  influence,  I  may  be  excused  for  writing 
earnestly,  but  not  accused  of  lack  of  experience. 

There  is  one  mental  formula  which  I  advise  every  visitor  to 
the  tropics  to  remember.  It  will  be  an  excellent  and  practical 
antidote  for  the  heat.     It  is : 

God  made  it  hot  in  the  tropics  countless  ages  ago;  it  has  been 
hot  ever  since;  it  always  luill  be  hot;  but  let  us  be  thankful  that 
it  isn't  any  hotter.  All  the  fussing,  fuming,  stewing,  and  zvorry- 
ing  about  the  heat  wont  make  God  change  it  a  single  degree,  but 
%uill  make  us  hotter  still.  Let  us,  therefore,  keep  cool  at  least 
mentally  and  we  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  quickly  in  conse- 
quence we  grow  cooler  and  more  comfortable  physically. 

When  our  soldiers  were  making  themselves  sick  in  the  Philip- 
pines worrying  about  and  cussing  the  heat  just  after  our  occupa- 
tion of  the  Islands  in  1898,  I  persuaded  Gen.  E.  S.  Otis,  then 
Commander-in-Chief  at  Manila,  to  issue  an  informal  order  con- 
taining this  formula.  The  effect  was  instant  and  almost  magical. 
The  sick  and  hospital  list  grew  rapidly  less  and  some  regiments 
even  so  enthused  over  it  that  they  fined  every  man  a  peso  who 
made  any  reference  to  the  heat,  and  then  used  the  proceeds  to 
buy  electric  fans! 

Gen.  George  W.  Davis,  the   fine   old   soldier   and   first   Gov- 


20 


%o'    K-oV»  Long;. ,.,!,  Wart  r™,„  Greenwich    \   flf,      //.V-/  «• 


Afjj 


C      Stiiiiaio 


yrm^~-^\ 


Z^ry'P.^e.^fK'J 


>^  I     Cliame 


^  ^^  Q  '",  \  Bay 

I     Cliame      '  ,\>       / 
Penonjime  '    I    \\ 


-^^"f 


J^le 
'S^Laa  P\lmas„         ^ 

o  \    Santiago 

_^Iont)!lo  o 


Q^AI  del 

;.  ,     iV  ^     \  -W''J"pta 
Archipelago     oarichine 

-f^iif rf\ 


/''/I*  a  n  a  in  « 


a^\K^7uexo  V  o^^  //,,>f  an  a  m  a 


KILOMETERS. 


Pta  Mai 


REPUBLIC    OF   PANAMA 


ernor  of  the  Canal  Zone;  Col.  W.  C.  Gorgas,  the  courageous 
premier  health  provider  and  yellow-fever  destroyer  of  the  Isthmus; 
and  John  W.  Wallace,  the  eminent  and  hard-v^orking  first  Chief 
Engineer;  and  myself  as  the  first  United  States  Minister  after  the 
work  began  at  Panama,  united  in  preaching  and  practicing  this 
doctrine  or  philosophy  when  we  went  to  Panama  in  the  early  part 
of  1904,  and  ever  since  it  has  characterized  the  attitude  of  all  the 
canal  staff",  from  the  great  Goethals  down  to  his  lowest  white 
subordinate. 

A  few  other  suggestions  based-  on  practical  experience  may 
help  the  newcomer  or  first  visitor  to  Panama  and  the  tropics  to 
get  along  more  comfortably  than  he  had  expected.  With  the 
philosophy  outlined  above  always  in  mind,  let  him  eat  lightly, 
especially  of  meats,  eliminate  drinks  with  alcohol  in  them,  dress  in 
clothing  of  airy  texture,  have  at  hand  brown  or  blue-glass  specta- 
cles or  eyeglasses  to  soften  the  glare  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
wear  a  wide-brimmed  hat,  and  carry  an  umbrella  —  black  will 
do,  but  white  or  yellow,  lined  with  green  or  blue,  readily  obtain- 
able at  Panama,  is  preferable.  Many  persons  going  to  the  tropics 
for  the  first  time  are  troubled  with  prickly  heat.  This  is  largely 
superinduced  by  cold  baths.  Those  inclined  to  this  trouble 
should  always  take  warm  or  hot  baths  or  rub  themselves  well 
with  diluted  alcohol.  They  may  not  be  so  comfortable  at  the 
moment  but  they  will  open  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  permit  free 


21 


perspiration.  Prickly  heat  is  nothing  more  than  congestion  of 
the  pores  which  starts  irritation  and  itching.  Cold  baths  chill 
and  close  the  pores  and  so  increase  the  irritation.  Constipation 
is  always  to  be  avoided  in  the  tropics,  and  a  bottle  of  fruit  salts 
should  be  in  everybody's  handbag  to  be  used  on  the  slightest 
indication  of  irregularity. 

All  danger  of  yellow  fever  at  Panama  is  absolutely  eliminated 
and  the  chances  of  getting  m.alaria  are  at  a  minimum,  but,  if 
the  traveler  has  a  tendency  to  the  latter,  regular  doses  of  quinine 
will  usually  prove  an  adequate  preventative.  If  anybody  should 
become  suddenly  ill  during  his  visit  to  Panama  he  need  not 
worry  about  care  and  attendance.  There  are  no  better  hos- 
pitals and  nurses  in  New  York  or  London  than  in  Panama  and 
Colon,  and  the  medical  attendance  is  most  capable  and  thoroughly 
experienced.  I  have  written  quite  a  little  about  possible  sick- 
ness because  travelers  are  always  discussing  it,  but  the  intend- 
ing visitor  to  Panama  need  have  even  less  thought  of  this  than 
when  he  travels  in  the  United  States  or  on  the  continent  of 
Europe. 

What  about  the  rainy  season  ?  is  a  common  question.  Again, 
here,  we  find  much  misconception.  The  so-called  rainy  season 
extends  from  April  to  November,  but  that  does  not  mean  that  it 
rains  all  the  time  or  every  day.  There  are  periods  when  it  does 
rain  every  day  and  rains  hard,  but  very  rarely,  indeed,  all  day. 
Even  in  the  heart  of  the  rainy  season  the  sun  shines  more  than  it 
hides  and  the  greater  part  of  the  day  is  rainless.  The  showers 
or  downpour  generally  come  at  almost  regular  hours  and  can 
usually  be  depended  upon  to  end  about  when  expected.  The 
porous  character  of  the  soil  and  the  warmth  of  the  sun  have  a 
quick  drying  effect,  which  enables  people  to  soon  get  about  and 
work  to  go  on.  These  rains  are  also  most  welcome  in  the  hottest 
months  of  April,  May,  and  June,  and  often  bring  a  desired 
coolness,  sometimes,  however,  called  mugginess.  This  reminds 
me  to  caution  a  newcomer  in  the  tropics  in  regard  to  mildew. 
In  the  rainy  season  and  often  in  the  dry  season,  on  account  of 
the  humidity  in  the  air,  much  trouble  is  experienced  with  clothes, 
and  especially  shoes  and  other  leather  articles,  becoming  mil- 
dewed at  night.  This  can  be  avoided  by  thoroughly  drying  such 
articles  in  the  sun,  or  by  putting  them  in  a  closet  or  partially 


22 


closed  trunk  or  box  in  which  a  small  oil  lamp  or  some  lighted 
candles,  or  burning  electric  light  bulbs,  are  also  placed. 

A  word  about  the  actual  temperature  at  Panama  just  to  satisfy 
the  curious.  The  mean  thermometer  for  the  year  is  about  80 
degrees  with  extreme  fluctuations  rarely  reaching  15  degrees 
above  or  below  that  mark.  It  never  gets  as  hot  as  it  often  does 
in  New  York,  Washington,  Paris,  and  Yokohama.  At  night 
there  is  always  a  drop  in  temperature  which  is  noticeable  and 
conducive  to  sleep,  but,  of  course,  there  are  some  rooms,  corners, 
and  places,  where  there  is  no  movement  of  air  or  a  breeze,  and 
it  seems  close  and  disagreeable.  If  one,  however,  can  sleep 
where  there  is  plenty  of  air,  he  will  not  suffer  from  the  heat. 
From  January  to  April  a  fresh  breeze  blows  most  of  the  time 
and  delightfully  tempers  the  air.  Riding  about  at  night  in  a 
motor  or  carriage,  a  wrap  is  often  necessary. 

Yes,  there  are  mosquitoes,  but  thanks  to  the  valiant  and  never- 
ending  fight  of  Col.  Gorgas  and  his  assistants  they  are  almost  a 
negligible  consideration  in  one's  comfort.  The  adequate  wire 
netting,  moreover,  that  protects  hotels  and  houses  keeps  away 
the  few  stray  stegomias  and  anepholes  which  may  be  seeking  a 
feast  on  your  fresh  blood. 

Speaking  of  the  stegomia,  the  little  insect  devil  which  is  respon- 
sible for  spreading  yellow  fever,  it  may  interest  my  feminine 
readers  to  know  that  it  is  Mrs.  or  Miss  Stegomia  and  not  Mr. 
Stegomia  who  does  all  the  harm,  and  that  she  wears,  as  it  were, 
yellow  striped  stockings  !  Deprived,  however,  of  a  chance  to 
feed  herself  upon  a  person  afflicted  with  yellow  fever,  she  is  as 
harmless  as  her  husband  or  brother.  This  is  not  an  argument 
for  or  against  equal  rights  or  for  new  styles  in  hosiery,  but  a 
simple  scientific  fact.  If  you  don't  believe  it,  ask  Dr.  Gorgas 
or  any  of  his  assistants.  The  malarial-bearing  bird  is  the 
anephole,  who  must,  in  turn,  be  inoculated  first  in  order  to 
infect  healthy  victims.  In  their  case,  I  believe  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Anephole  are  equally  dangerous  to  society.  Don't  worry  about 
them,  anyway,  for  neither  kind  will  interfere  seriously  with  the 
pleasure  of  your  visit  to  the  great  canal.  If  a  few  stray  ones 
do  bother  you,  a  little  citronella  oil  rubbed  on  the  ankles,  back 
of  the  hands,  forehead,  and  ears  will  aid  in  keeping  them  from 
biting. 

23 


SIKAMSHIP    SKR\It'E    TO    PANAMA 

"Victoria  Luise,"  Hamburg-American  Line 

■'Pastores,"  United  Fruit  Co.  "Laurentic,"  International  Mercantile  Marine  Co. 

R.  M.  S.  "Oruba,"  Royal  Mail  Steam  Packet  Co. 


24 


Steamship  "Colon"  of  the  Panama  Railroad  S.  S.  Line 
Steamship  "  Grosser  Kurfuerst  "  North  German  Lloyd 

STEAMSHIP  SERVICE  TO  THE  ISTHMUS 

There  are  abundant  facilities  for  reaching  the  Panama  Canal 
from  the  United  States.  The  best  regular  service  and  lines  are 
from  New  York,  New  Orleans,  and  San  Francisco.  During  the 
excursion  season  of  January  to  April  there  are  also  numerous 
good  boats  from  these  ports  and  Key  West. 

The  average  cost  of  the  trip  depends  on  whether  the  journey  is 
direct  down  and  back  or  by  an  excursion  route,  and  also  upon 
the  quality  and  size  of  the  cabin  engaged.  The  minimum  round- 
trip  rate  is  approximately  $100-^135;  the  maximum,  ^250-^400. 

It  is  advisable  that  the  intending  visitor  to  the  canal  should 
get  in  touch  with  the  offices  of  one  of  the  following  lines  in  order 
to  arrange  satisfactory  passage : 

The  Panama  Railroad  Steamship  hne  regularly  runs  each 
week  comfortable  passenger  steamers  direct  to  Colon  and  return, 
taking  about  six  days  for  the  passage  each  way.  The  two  largest 
boats  are  the  "Colon"  and  "Panama."  Its  offices  are  at  24 
State  Street,  New  York  City. 

25 


The  Hamburg-American  Line,  with  offices  at  41-45  Broadway, 
New  York  City,  runs  regularly  vessels  of  the  "Prinz"  class  from 
New  York  to  Colon  all  the  year  round,  touching  at  Fortune  Island, 
Santiago,  Kingston,  Bocas  del  Toro,  and  Port  Limon.  Aside 
from  these,  in  January,  February,  March,  and  April,  they  put  on 
larger  vessels  of  the  type  of  the  "Moltke"  and  "Victoria  Luise" 
for  excursions  to  the  Isthmus,  which  include  stops  at  Cuba,  Haiti, 
Porto  Rico,  Trinidad,  Venezuela,  Jamaica,  and  other  points  on 
the  Caribbean.  The  regular  boats  take  about  four  weeks  for  the 
round  trip  and  the  excursion  steamers  from  sixteen  to  twenty-nine 
days.  This  year  they  will  run  one  excursion  vessel  from  New 
Orleans  in  January  and  February. 

The  United  Fruit  Co.,  with  offices  at  17  Battery  Place,  New 
York  City  and  in  New  Orleans,  have  an  extensive  and  excellent 
service  not  only  from  New  York  and  New  Orleans  but  from 
several  other  ports.  Their  best  passenger  vessels,  however,  run 
regularly  from  New  York  City  and  New  Orleans.  The  passage 
from  New  Orleans  is  about  two  days  quicker  than  that  from  New 
York.  Their  new  vessels  of  the  "Pastores"  type  are  550  feet  in 
length  with  a  gross  tonnage  of  9,000  tons  and  special  arrange- 
ments and  facilities  for  the  tropics.  They  have  many  different 
routes  and  touch  at  other  interesting  places  aside  from  Colon. 

The  Royal  Mail  Steam  Packet  Co.  have  also  an  extensive 
service  of  good  boats  from  New  York,  including  a  large  variety  of 
tours.  Their  boats  leave  regularly,  Thursdays  or  Saturdays^ 
from  Pier  13,  East  River,  and  their  offices  are  at  32  State  Street, 
New  York  City.  The  different  itineraries  of  the  vessels  that  go 
to  Panama  include  Fortune  Island,  Cuba,  and  Jamaica,  while 
some  of  them  touch  at  the  Bermudas,  Porto  Rico,  Barbados, 
Trinidad,  other  islands  of  the  Caribbean,  Venezuela,  and 
Colombia. 

The  White  Star  Line,  of  9  Broadway,  New  York  City,  runs 
during  the  excursion  season  the  "Laurentic"  and  the  "Megantic," 
large  vessels,  to  the  West  Indies  and  Colon,  these  cruises  occupying 
about  three  to  four  weeks. 

The  North  German  Lloyd,  with  offices  at  5  Broadway,  New 
York  City,  runs  the  "Grosser  Kurfuerst"  on  three  excursions  in 
January,  February,  and  March,  not  only  to  the  Panama  Canal 
but  to  the  West  Indies. 

26 


TYPICAL   EXCURSION   SIGHT-SEEING   TRAIN    OF   THE    PANAMA   RAILROAD 

For  those  desiring  to  go  via  or  from  Palm  Beach,  Tampa,  and 
other  Southern  points,  the  Peninsular  and  Occidental  Steamship 
Co.  will  run  a  large,  fast  passenger  vessel,  the  "  Evangeline," 
every  two  weeks,  January  to  April,  from  Key  West  to  Colon, 
stopping  at  Jamaica  and  Cuba  on  the  return  voyage.  The 
Florida  East  Coast  Railway,  Henry  M.  Flagler's  great  achieve- 
ment, with  office  at  243  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  and  the  Atlantic 
Coast  Line,  12 18  Broadway,  will  make  direct  connections  with 
this  boat  via  Key  West  and  Tampa  respectively. 

The  Southern  Railway,  264  Fifth  Avenue,  and  the  Seaboard 
Air  Line,  11 84  Broadway,  also  make  connections  via  Florida, 
while  the  former  from  the  East  and  the  Illinois  Central  and 
Louisville  &  Nashville  from  the  Central  West  connect  with 
the  United  Fruit  Co.  steamers  at  New  Orleans. 

From  San  Francisco,  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Co.  regularly 
runs  every  week  vessels  with  good  passenger  accommodations  to 
the  Isthmus,  taking  about  three  weeks  for  the  trip  one  way.  Their 
New  York  offices  are  located  at  17  Battery  Place. 

Full  descriptive  data  in  the  form  of  pamphlets,  time  tables, 
and  maps  can  be  obtained  from  the  offices  of  each  one  of  these  lines 
or  from  the  Pan-American  Union,  Washington,  D.  C. 

27 


COLON  TO   PANAMA 

On  approaching  Colon  from  the  north,  the  first  land  seen  is  a 
range  of  high  hills  or  low  mountains  to  the  south  and  left,  or  on 
the  port  bow.  Coming  nearer,  the  conformation  is  less  irregular 
and  seems  to  flatten  out.  Presently,  the  low-lying  buildings  and 
wharves  of  Colon  can  be  seen  to  the  left  with  the  lighthouse  at 
the  water's  edge  of  the  town.  On  the  right  is  Point  Toro  and 
its  lighthouse  with  the  long  breakwater  to  protect  the  entrance 
of  the  canal,  reaching  out  for  several  miles  and  in  course  of  con- 
struction. Near  the  Colon  lighthouse  looms  up  the  handsome 
and  capacious  new  Washington  Hotel  just  nearing  completion 
at  this  writing.  In  front  of  it  is  a  great  artificial  sea-bathing 
basin  or  pool,  which  will  prove  a  strong  attraction  for  tourists. 
As  the  steamer  turns  into  its  wharf  there  can  be  seen  at  the  right 
the  town  of  Cristobal,  which  is  the  port  of  Colon  in  the  Canal 
Zone  and  the  home  ot  most  of  the  canal  staff  located  on  the  Atlantic 
side.  At  its  western  point  stands  a  notable  statue  of  Columbus, 
which  was  unveiled  by  the  famous  de  Lesseps  in  the  days  of 
French  control.  Just  back  of  it  stands  the  original  official  resi- 
dence of  the  great  Frenchman  during  his  brief  stay  on  the 
Isthmus. 

Steamships  generally  arrive  at  Colon  early  in  the  morning  and 
passengers  disembarking  find  near  the  wharf  the  regular  or  an 
excursion  railroad  train  which  is  to  take  them  across  the  Isthmus 
to  Panama,  or  to  whatever  point  they  may  be  intending  to  go. 
The  majority  of  visitors  to  Panama  come  and  go  on  vessels  that 
spend  only  one  night  and  part  of  two  days  at  Colon.  This  time, 
it  should  be  understood  by  everybody  aboard  such  steamers, 
is  altogether  too  short  for  a  complete  view  and  study  of  the 
canal,  but  still  it  is  well  worth  the  journey  from  afar  and 
enables  the  traveler  to  gain  a  good  general  idea  of  this  mighty 
waterway. 

The  best  way  to  visit  Panama,  by  far,  is  to  come  on  one  steamer, 
spend  a  week  there,  and  then  return  or  pass  on.  A  three  weeks' 
absence  from  the  United  States  on  this  plan  gives  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  canal.  The 
time  there  can  then  be  divided,  with  two  or  three  days  at  Colon, 
including  visits  to  Cristobal,  Gatun,  and  Culebra,  and  four  days 
at   Panama   with   visits   to   Culebra,    Pedro   Miguel,    Miraflores, 

28 


Balboa  terminal  and  points  in 
and  about  Panama  and  Ancon. 
By  stopping  at  the  large  comfort- 
able hotels  in  Colon  and  Panama, 
and  taking  the  daily  special  ex- 
cursion and  regular  trains  of  the 
well-run  Panama  railway,  the 
visitor  can  spend  one  of  the  most 
interesting  weeks  of  his  life  on 
the  Isthmus,  and  it  will  be  well 
worth  the  trip  also  in  years  to 
come  after  the  canal  is  completed 
and  in  working  order. 

The  traveler  who  arrives  one 
day  and  leaves  the  next  generally 
is  taken  in  a  special  excursion 
train  across  the  Isthmus  to  Pana- 
ma City,  leaving  Colon  in  the 
morning  and  returning  at  night. 
This  train  makes  stops  at  the 
Gatun  Locks  and  Dam  and  at 
Culebra,  and  sometimes  at 
Pedro  Miguel  and  Miraflores 
Locks  with  a  detour  to  Bal- 
boa, but  from  Culebra  it  gen- 
erally proceeds  to  Panama  City 
direct.  In  this  case  many  per- 
sons elect  to  stay  over  night 
at  the  Tivoli  hotel  or  else- 
where in  Panama,  in  order  to 
see  that  city  and  its  surround- 
ings, and  then  return  to  Colon 
the  next  day  in  time  to  catch 
their  steamer.  This  possibly 
is  the  best  way  to  see  the 
most.  Every  day,  however, 
extra  sight-seeing  excursion 
trains  are  run  either  from 
Panama  or  Colon  which  enable 

29 


TIVOLI   HOTEL,  ANCON,  NEAR   PANAMA   CITY 
Office  Rotunda  Screened  Veranda 

Front  View  of  Hotel 
Dining  Room  President's  Suite 


30 


visitors  by  a  little  study  of  plans  to  see  most  that  is  worth 
seeing. 

In  this  connection  let  me  say  a  word  about  letters  of  introduc- 
tion. Don't  ask  for  them  and  don't  present  them  unless  you 
have  some  special  mission  to  undertake  or  errand  to  execute! 
Col.  Goethals  and  his  subordinates  will  do  all  they  can  for 
you  whether  you  come  with  or  without  letters  of  introduction, 
but  they  will  bless  you  if  you  don't  present  any.  They  are  all 
literally  overwhelmed  with  such  letters,  and  you  are  simply  doing 
the  common  ordinary  thing  when  you  deliver  them.  There  is 
every  facility  for  seeing  the  canal  without  the  aid  of  letters  of 
this  kind  and,  by  presenting  them  or  taking  up  time  to  find  the 
officials  to  whom  they  are  addressed,  you  may  miss  seeing  much 
that  you  want  to  see  and  can  see  just  as  well  without  letters. 
You  escape  also  embarrassing  the  officials  in  Washington  and 
others  who  are  continually  being  requested  to  provide  letters  of 
introduction,  but  who  feel  like  apologizing  to  the  overworked  men 
on  the  Isthmus  for  sending  more  people  to  them  to  worry  them 
and  take  up  the  time  which  Uncle  Sam  needs  for  the  work. 

On  these  excursion  trains  go  trained  lecturers  who  tell  you  just 
what  you  want  to  know,  and  of  whom  you  can  ask  endless  ques- 
tions; whereas,  if  you  go  about  with  an  official  he  may  or  may 
not  explain  to  you  what  you  do  not  understand  and  you  hesitate 
to  bother  and  bore  him  with  a  lot  of  inquiries. 

If  one  has  time  before  crossing  the  Isthmus  or  after  he  returns 
from  Panama  to  go  about  Colon  and  Cristobal,  he  should  visit 
the  great  plant  of  the  Quartermaster  and  Subsistence  Depart- 
ments under  charge  of  Col.  C.  A.  Devol,  Chief  Quartermaster, 
and  Lieut.-Col.  Eugene  T.  Wilson,  Subsistence  Officer,  from 
which  each  day  go  out  the  food  and  supplies  for  45,000  em- 
ployes and  the  stores  and  materials  to  keep  the  vast  work 
proceeding  without  a  break.  The  homes  of  the  staff  located  at 
Cristobal,  the  Columbus  Monument,  the  Avenue  of  Palms, 
laundry  plants,  the  storehouses,  the  commissary,  the  busy  docks 
and  wharves,  are  well  worthy  of  inspection.  In  Colon,  the  native 
bazaars  and  shops  are  interesting,  and  in  them  one  can  buy  cheaply 
clothes,  hats,  and  anything  and  everything  he  needs  during  his 
visit  to  Panama,  and  some  curious  things  of  souvenir  character. 
A  ride  to  the  hospital  on  the  east  side  of  Colon  is  enjoyable  and 

31 


32 


shows  how  well  equipped  is  the  Canal  Commission  to  care  for 
the  sick.  The  new  hotel  Washington  and  its  bathing  pool  will 
be  the  Mecca  of  nearly  every  traveler.  If  interested  in  railways, 
he  may  care  to  inspect  the  offices  and  terminals  of  the  Panama 
Railway  Company,  oi  which  j.  A.  Smith  is  the  energetic  and 
capable  General  Superintendent. 

Those  who  take  photographs  or  wish  to  purchase  them  will 
find  several  places  on  the  main  street  running  parallel  to  the 
railroad  where  they  can  get  films  developed  or  purchase  pictures 
of  the  canal  and  environment.  Horse  conveyances  are  in 
abundance  near  the  wharves  and  railway  station  to  carry  pas- 
sengers in  every  direction. 

The  money  in  common  use  is  silver,  the  Panama  dollar  or  peso 
being  exactly  equal  to  fifty  cents  in  United  States  money,  but 
the  latter  is  readily  taken  in  payment  for  all  kinds  of  services  or 
purchases.  The  newcomer  should  always  understand  clearly, 
however,  in  what  money  he  is  dealing,  or  else  he  may  pay  double 
what  is  expected  and  not  be  told  or  reminded  that  he  has  made 
a  mistake! 

If  a  few  days  can  be  spared  for  a  stay  in  Colon,  there  are  several 
interesting  side  trips  which  can  be  made.  At  Mount  Hope, 
formerly  known  as  Monkey  Hill,  is  the  famous,  or,  possibly  in 
view  of  its  history,  ill-famed  cemetery  where  are  buried  large 
numbers  of  the  Frenchmen  and  other  foreigners  who  perished  by 
the  hundreds  during  the  unsanitary  times  of  the  pioneer  regime. 
A  view  of  this  is  a  grim  reminder  of  death's  awful  charge  upon 
the  first  effort  to  build  the  canal. 

If  the  visitor  enjoys  seeing  old  ruins  which  are  really  remarkable 
in  their  architecture  and  carry  him  back  almost  into  the  medieval 
times,  he  should  make  a  boat  trip  down  the  Chagres  River  from 
Gatun  and  inspect  the  old  ruins  of  Fort  Lorenzo  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  which  was  built  by  the  Spaniards  to  guard  this  en- 
trance and  command  the  sea.  Vast  sums  of  money  were  expended 
in  this  wonderful  construction  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
ruins  of  the  Western  Hemisphere.  A  whole  day  can  be  spent  in 
making  this  trip  with  full  reward  for  the  effort.  The  boat  ride, 
moreover,  down  the  river,  surrounded  on  both  sides  by  the  tropical 
jungle  and  overhanging  trees,  is  an  interesting  experience. 

If  it  can  be  so  arranged,  a  trip  on  one  of  the  Government  boats 

33 


to  Porto  Bello,  the  point  on  the  coast  west  of  Colon  where  most 
of  the  rock  is  being  obtained  for  the  Point  Toro  breakwater,  is 
worth  while,  because  there  can  be  seen  some  of  the  finest  old 
fortifications  of  the  days  of  the  Spanish  Conquest.  Even  the  old 
guns  and  cannon  balls  in  use  in  those  times  still  remain  upon  the 
bastions.  Were  these  ruins  and  those  of  Fort  Lorenzo  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Chagres  River  readily  accessible,  every  visitor  to 
the  Isthmus  would  feel  that  they  were  alone  deserving  of  a  trip 
all  the  way  from  New  York  to  see. 


ANCON   HILL   AND   HOSPITAL  VIEW   FROM   REAR   OF   HOTEL   TLVOLI 

Baseball  ground  in  foreground 

In  driving  and  walking  about  the  clean,  well-paved  streets  of 
Colon,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  what  the  place  looked  (and 
smelled)  like  eight  years  ago  when  the  United  States  began  the 
cleaning  up  of  Colon  and  Panama.  The  whole  town  was  a 
pest  hole,  except  a  small  section  at  the  northeast  end  under  the 
practical  control  of  the  railroad.  Slimy,  stagnant  water  backed 
up  under  most  of  the  buildings  and  the  streets  were  mud  holes 
in  the  rainy  season.  It  was,  indeed,  a  most  discouraging  place 
and  scene  for  the  eyes  of  us  pioneers  to  look  upon  when  we  arrived 
on  the  Isthmus  in  those  days  of  early  1904  which  literally  tried 


34 


STREET   SCENE,  PANAiMA   CITY 

men's  souls.  Yellow  fever,  Chagres  fever,  and  malaria  domi- 
nated the  situation.  Now  all  is  changed  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  sewers,  waterworks,  paving,  and  general  sanitation  — 
and  skilled  administration. 

Colon  is  a  cosmopolitan  place  and  in  its  15,000  population 
can  be  found  representatives  of  nearly  a  score  of  peoples  and 
languages.  It  reminds  one  much  of  Port  Said  without  the 
offensive  criminal,  immoral,  and  gambling  characteristics  of  the 
entrance  to  the  Suez  Canal.  Cristobal,  its  zone  neighbor,  could 
be  regarded  as  a  model  town  in  any  state  or  country,  and  is 
excellent  evidence  of  wise  American  direction  and  administration. 

The  only  towns  or  settlements  deserving  of  a  special  visit  apart 
from  the  canal  between  Colon  and  Panama  are  those  at  Gatun, 
Gorgona,  Camp  Elliot,  and  Camp  Otis,  Empire,  Culebra,  Paraiso, 
Corozal,  and  Balboa,  and  these  can  be  omitted  if  the  time  is 
limited.  The  chief  things  to  see  in  them  are  the  neat,  well- 
arranged,  well-kept  houses,  offices,  barracks,  school  buildings, 
hospitals,  and  shops.  Everything  is  orderly,  clean,  suggestive 
of  system,  work,  and  health.  Frills  are  entirely  lacking  except  in 
the  form  of  pretty  flower  gardens  and  other  exterior  or  interior 
ornamentation  done  by  the  deft  hand  of  some  wife,  mother,  or 
daughter.     The  whole  atmosphere  and  effect  are  those  of  business 


35 


WATER   POWER   AWAITING   DEVELOPMENT   AT   CHORRERA,    PANAMA 

but  not  of  discomfort.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
houses  provide  reading  rooms  and  clubs  for  a  considerable  ele- 
ment of  the  staff.  These  have  facilities  for  billiards,  pool,  bowl- 
ing, checkers,  and  dominoes,  and  light  drinks.  There  are  several 
women's  clubs  and  other  social  and  literary  organizations  of  both 
sexes  which  are  often  meeting.  Dances  are  held  frequently  and 
well  attended.  So  far  Col.  Goethals  has  issued  no  order  against 
the  "turkey  trot"  or  the  "tango,"  and  it  is  whispered  that  sorhe- 
times  he  lets  up  in  his  seriousness  and  trips  a  few  steps  as 
nimbly  as  his  son! 

Baseball  is  as  popular  in  the  Canal  Zone  as  it  is  in  New  York 
or  San  Francisco,  and  there  are  clubs  galore  from  Cristobal  to 
Balboa.  During  the  cooler  months  the  championship  of  the 
zone  is  fought  out  with  as  much  seriousness  as  the  recent  con- 
flict for  the  World's  Championship  between  the  Giants  of  New 
York  and  the  Red  Sox  of  Boston.  Basket  ball  and  tennis  are 
also  popular  and  have  a  considerable  following.  Band  concerts 
by  the  Isthmian  Canal  Band  are  given  at  different  points  on 
different  days,  moving  picture  shows  are  constantly  exhibiting, 
and  occasionally  there  are  good  dramatic  or  vaudeville  enter- 
tainments. 


36 


There  is  also  real  "society"  on  the  Isthmus.  Teas,  dinners, 
and  receptions  are  given  which,  in  the  quality  of  the  personnel, 
the  good  looks  and  cleverness  of  the  women,  the  "doing-things" 
quality  of  the  men,  compare  favorably  with  similar  gatherings 
in  Washington  and  New  York.  The  male  element  does  not  have 
much  time  for  "playing"  in  society  and  it  is  too  tired  when 
night  comes  for  late-hour  festivities,  but  on  appropriate  occasions 
and  at  necessary  intervals  it  does  its  part  handsomely.  The 
large  army  of  prominent  visitors  constantly  arriving  increases 
greatly  the  number  of  social  functions.  Certainly,  no  person 
who  has  friends  or  acquaintances  on  the  Isthmus  ever  lacks 
attention,  and  everybody  from  the  members  of  the  Commission 
down  the  line  is  liberal  and  kindly  in  his  or  her  hospitality. 

Of  the  places  connected  with  the  canal  and  figuring  prominently 
in  any  story  relating  to  it,  Panama  City  is  the  most  important 
and  interesting. 

With  a  cosmopolitan  population  of  40,000,  with  a  romantic 
history  going  back  four  centuries,  with  ancient  walls  and  bastions 
still  standing  in  its  limits,  with  old  half-ruined  churches  of  rare 
architecture  yet  in  evidence,  with  quaint  houses  and  narrow  streets 
mixed  with  modern  construction  and  well-paved  avenues,  with 
hotels,  office  buildings,  and  lottery  offices  dating  back  to  the 
French  days  contrasting  with  new  private  and  public  structures 
and  palaces  erected  in  the  recent  days  of  the  Americans,  with  all 
varieties  of  stores,  shops,  curio  haunts,  run  or  patronized  by  all 
classes  and  types  of  men  and  women,  and  withal  a  picturesque 
location  on  a  peninsula  extending  into  the  Pacific  and  backed  up 
by  a  splendid  guardian  hill  called  "Ancon,"  Panama  never  fails 
to  interest  the  traveler  and  student. 

Comfortably  housed  at  the  Tivoli  hotel,  the  visitor  can  easily 
spend  several  days  at  Panama  seeing  the  sights  and  resting 
between  his  trips  to  various  points  along  the  canal. 

What  is  there  to  see  at  Panama  City  is  frequently  asked  by 
those  who  cross  the  Isthmus  and  spend  a  day  in  the  capital  of 
the  little  Republic. 

There  is  really  much  to  see  if  one  is  really  interested  and  has 
the  time.  Back  of  the  hotel  Tivoli  is  noble  Ancon  Hill,  on  whose 
slopes  are  the  beautiful  grounds  and  capacious  buildings  of  Ancon 
Hospital,  while  nearer  at  hand  are  the  airy  and  well-built  offices 

31 


and  homes  of  the  civil  administration,  judiciary,  law,  and  sani- 
tation staff.  Looking  in  an  opposite  direction  towards  the  Pacific 
and  the  Bay  of  Panama  one  can  discern  in  the  distance  the 
graceful  ruined  tower  of  "Old  Panama,"  which  should  be  the 
objective  point  of  a  motor  trip.  Recently,  the  Government  of 
Panama  has  cleared  away  all  the  jungle  and  undergrowth  which 
obscured  the  remains  of  the  buildings,  plazas,  and  streets  of  this 
rich  and  wicked  capital  of  the  old  days  which  was  destroyed  by 
the  Buccaneer  Morgan  in  1671. 

En  route  to  "Old  Panama"  one  passes  along  and  through  the 
"Savannas,"  which  is  an  open,  rolling  country  close  to  the  sea  and 
the  site  of  the  country  homes  of  the  richer  Panamanians.  A  good 
automobile  road  reaches  the  entire  distance  of  several  miles.  It 
requires  two  hours  to  make  the  trip  comfortably  and  satisfac- 
torily. If  en  route  you  are  fortunate  enough  to  be  entertained 
at  luncheon  or  tea  by  some  hospitable  Panamanian,  you  will 
come  away  with  a  high  opinion  of  the  quality  and  refinement  of 
your  host  and  his  family.  The  average  visitor  to  Panama  sees 
little  or  nothing  of  the  high-class  native  life  and  can  not  appre- 
ciate what  a  considerable  well-educated,  much-traveled,  and 
socially-refined  element  of  people  it  possesses.  During  my  stay 
of  one  year  at  Panama  before  the  American  colony  had  reached 
its  present  large  proportions,  I  saw  much  of  the  home  life  of  the 
native  families  and  gained  a  most  favorable  impression  of  their 
social  activities.  I  remember  a  social  picnic  and  dancing  club, 
which  had  a  membership  of  over  one  hundred  young  ladies,  called 
the  "Club  Iris,"  and  I  am  frank  to  say  that  I  know  of  no  similar 
club  in  any  American  city  that  could  get  together  more  real 
pretty  girls  in  the  same  membership. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  have  keen  and  pleasant  recollections  of 
many  men  in  and  out  of  the  government  of  Panama,  in  both  pri- 
vate and  public  life,  whose  friendship  and  fellowship  I  cherished. 
I  was  particularly  impressed  with  the  number  of  clear-headed, 
logical-minded,  and  common-sense  acting  men  I  constantly  met 
in  my  official  life,  and  who  were  honestly  desirous  of  helping 
Panama  become  a  government  worth  while  and  develop  a  name 
for  stability,  order,  and  progress. 

Panama  suffers  from  the  class  of  visitors  who  make  only  flying 
visits   to  the   Isthmus   and,   coming  into   contact  with   only  one 

38 


OLD    C\rnKI)K\L,  PLAZA   IXDEPENDEXCIA,  PANAMA   CITY 

class  —  the  cab  drivers,  policemen,  and  small  shop-keepers,  and 
ordinary  workmen  —  return  to  the  United  States  or  Europe  and 
write  stories  about  the  "Spigotties,"  as  the  average  lower  class 
is  commonly  described  by  the  American  canal  employes,  as  if 
they  were  the  only  people  at  Panama. 

A  drive  around  Panama,  or  a  walk  if  one  has  time,  should 
include  visits  to  the  Cathedral  on  the  main  square.  Plaza  Inde- 
pendencia,  the  Lottery  Office,  the  old  French  office  or  adminis- 
tration headquarters,  the  Hotel  Central,  and  the  new  municipal 


39 


building,  all  facing  the  same  plaza.  Not  far  away,  on  a  side 
street,  is  the  American  Legation,  which  was  the  home  of  the  Chief 
of  the  Canal  in  the  French  era,  and  where  at  the  present  writing 
(December,  1912)  presides  the  Hon.  H.  Percival  Dodge,  an  able 
and  hospitable  minister.  On  another  near-by  street,  overlooking 
the  bay,  is  "La  Presidencia,"  the  residence  of  the  distinguished 
President  of  the  Republic,  Dr.  Belisario  Porras,  with  an  attractive 
little  Spanish  patio.  Beyond  and  near  the  sea  is  the  magnificent 
new  National  Theater  or  Opera  House,  and  the  new  government 


NEW   PANAMA   CITY   MUNICIPAL   BUILDING,  PLAZA   INDEPENDENCIA 

building  or  National  Palace,  both  structures  which  would  orna- 
ment any  large  city  of  the  United  States  or  Europe.  The  Ameri- 
can Consulate  General,  now  in  charge  of  Consul  General  Alban 
G.  Snyder,  is  on  the  main  street  leading  from  the  railroad 
station  to  the  main  plaza. 

The  far  and  long-famed  "Flat  Arch,"  in  the  ruins  of  the  old 
San  Domingo  Church,  should  be  seen  by  every  traveler  and 
student.  This  is  said  to  be  the  longest  flat  arch  in  the  world,  and 
having  been  built  two  centuries  ago  it  is  a  monument  to  the 

40 


architects  and  masons  of  those  days.  There  is  a  legend  that  the 
architect,  after  having  designed  several  arches  which  fell,  planned 
and  built  this  one  and  then,  sitting  under  it  called  upon  it  to  fall 
and  destroy  him  or  last  forever!  Perhaps  its  greatest  usefulness 
is  to  answer  by  its  simple  presence  and  long  existence  all  argu- 
ments, dire  predictions,  and  false  prophecies  of  those  who  con- 
tend that  the  locks  and  heavy  work  of  the  canal  are  in  danger  of 
momentary  destruction  by  earthquakes. 

Other  churches  of  interest  are  San  Felipe  de  Neri,  the  oldest 
in  Panama ;  San  Francisco,  in  Plaza  Bolivar,  and  having  also  a  flat 
arch  and  big  doors  with  old-fashioned  nail  heads;  Santa  Ana  in 
Santa  Ana  Plaza;  San  Jose,  with  old  Spanish  altars  on  Avenue  A; 
and  de  la  Merced,  Avenue  Central. 

The  old  sea-wall  and  fortress  at  Chiriqui  Plaza,  called  "Las 
Bovedas,"  is  one  of  the  really  picturesque  sights  of  Panama  and 
commands  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  Bay  of  Panama  and  the 
whole  water  front.  Near  by  are  up-to-date  clubs  of  Panamanians 
and  Americans,  which  make  a  marked  contrast  to  these  old 
buildings  of  the  times  when  social  clubs  were  not  in  vogue. 

to  to 

The  market  place  on  the  water  front,  the  Chinese  shops,  the 
Panama  hat  stores,  the  bird  and  monkey  shops,  the  offices  of  the 
pearl  merchants,  and  the  curio  shops  provide  abundant  oppor- 
tunities for  the  traveler  to  part  with  his  money,  with  the  result 
that  when  he  returns  to  the  hotel  he  engages  in  a  long  argument 
with  his  cab  driver,  in  order  to  save  enough  to  pay  his  hotel  bill 
when  he  leaves  that  night  or  the  next  morning.  And  he  will 
dislike  to  leave  the  Tivoli,  for  it  is  a  comfortable  and  hospitable 
place — with  allowances,  of  course,  for  limitations  in  space  and 
attendance  when  great  crowds  from  an  incoming  excursion  steamer 
temporarily  swamp  its  corridors  and  facilities. 

A  motor  or  carriage  ride  to  Balboa,  the  Pacific  terminus  of  the 
canal,  only  a  few  miles  away,  is  worth  while.  The  road  is  a  good 
one  and  an  opportunity  is  provided,  if  not  already  enjoyed  by 
the  excursion  train,  to  inspect  the  docks,  buildings,  and  the  work 
which  is  going  on  at  that  end  of  the  canal.  One  branch  of  the 
road  goes  by  the  native  and  Chinese  cemeteries,  which  are  unique 
to  the  average  foreigner  and  worth  seeing.  If  in  going  from  the 
Tivoli  hotel  the  road  is  taken  along  the  shoulder  of  Ancon  Hill, 
a  fine  view  is  obtained  of  Panama  City,  the  bay,  the  breakwater 

41 


FAMOUS  FLAT  ARCH,  RUINS   OF  SAN  DOMINGO  CHURCH,  PANAMA  CITY 

in  course  of  construction  which  will  connect  Balboa  with  Naos 
Island,  and  the  channel  of  the  canal  leading  out  to  sea. 

In  going  to  or  returning  from  Balboa,  or  in  a  separate  excur- 
sion, a  ride  should  be  taken  around  the  northern  slope  of  Ancon 
Hill,  where  a  fine  panoramic  view  can  be  had  of  the  route  of  the 
canal  in  the  direction  of  Miraflores,  Pedro  Miguel,  and  Culebra 
Cut.  This  view  also  gives  an  excellent  impression  of  the  general 
land  conformation  of  the  Isthmus  and  makes  one  clearly  realize 
the  engineering  difficulties  which  have  been  surmounted. 

If  a  stop  of  several  days  is  made  at  Panama,  a  trip  should  be 
made  by  water  across  Panama  Bay  to  Taboga  Island,  famous 
for  its  wonderful  pineapples  and  for  its  attractive  sanitarium  or 
rest  house  for  convalescing  invalid  employes.  A  round-trip 
day's  steaming  also,  almost  to  the  south,  which  could  be  under- 
taken in  a  large  steam  launch  or  a  specially  chartered  tug,  permits 
a  visit  to  the  well-known  Pearl  Islands,  where  profitable  pearl 
fisheries  have  been  conducted  for  a  great  many  years,  enriching 
the  native  fishermen  and  the  merchants  in  Panama. 

A  launch  ride  from  Panama  out  through  the  bay  around  the 
islands  and  up  the  Pacific  channel  of  the  canal  to  Balboa  gives 


42 


an  excellent  idea  of  the  Pacific  approach  to  the  canal  and  the 
location  of  the  fortifications  which  are  to  protect  this  entrance  to 
the  great  waterway. 

If  several  days  are  spent  at  Panama,  at  least  one  of  them 
should  be  reserved  to  be  used  for  a  special  visit  to  Culebra,  an 
inspection  of  the  construction  and  engineering  administration 
building  with  its  relief  map  of  the  canal  and  its  model  of  the 
locks,  which  are  explained  by  an  experienced  lecturer,  a  look  at 
the  hotels  and  homes  of  the  employes,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building, 
as  showing  the  welfare  work,  and  an  intimate  view  of  the  famous 
Cut  itself.  The  Pedro  Miguel  and  Miraflores  locks  might  be 
included  in  this  excursion  but  are  better  saved  for  another  day. 
Balboa,  with  the  construction  of  terminal  wharves,  a  dry  dock, 
repair  shops,  coal  deposits,  warehouses,  and  supply  depots,  will 
be  an  interesting  point  during  the  next  two  years,  while  on  the 
canal  side  of  Ancon  Hill  near  Balboa  will  presently  be  built  the 
permanent  main  administration  building  of  the  canal  and  the 
zone. 

At  Ancon,  a  day  can  be  instructively  spent  in  visiting  the  civil 
administration  building  and  its  various  offices  to  see  how  the 
work  is  carried  on,  the  schools  to  note  how  the  young  American 
transplanted  to  the  tropics    is   taught  "to  shoot,"  the  hospitals 


NEW  NATIONAL  PALACE  OR  PANAMA  GOVERNMENT  BUILDING,  PANAMA  CITY 

43 


FRENCH   ADMINISTRATION   BUILDING,  PANAMA   CITY 

Photograph  taken  fifteen  years  ago 

to  learn  how  carefully  the  sick  or  injured  are  doctored  and  nursed, 
the  police  and  fire  department  to  be  convinced  that  life  and 
property  are  both  well  guarded,  and  the  courts  to  hear  real  jus- 
tice dispensed  and  the  law  respected. 

If  the  traveler  is  fortunate  enough  to  be  invited  to  the  homes 
of  any  of  the  officials  at  Ancon,  Culebra,  or  elsewhere,  he  will 
not  only  enjoy  the  call,  lunch,  or  dinner,  but  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  first-handed  the  interior  of  remarkably  com- 
fortable and  sanitary  houses  usually  made  delightfully  attractive 
and  hospitable  by  the  deft  touch  and  finesse  of  the  women  mem- 
bers of  the  family.  If  he  is  at  the  Tivoli  on  the  night  of  a  ball, 
he  will  see  men,  women,  and  young  ladies  of  such  bearing,  charac- 
ter, looks,  and  dress  that  he  would  be  proud  to  class  them  as 
coming  from  his  own  home.  Very  few  anemic  faces  or  tropical 
complexions  will  catch  the  eye. 

If  he  will  take  time  to  watch  both  men  and  women  playing 
lawn  tennis,  riding  horseback,  walking,  or  Otherwise  playing  in 
their  hours  of  recreation,  he  will  discover  few  signs  of  tropical 
enervation.  If,  moreover,  he  should  be  invited  to  join  in  a 
friendly  game  of  bridge,  he  will  soon  find  out  that  the  tropical 
climate  does  not  lessen  the  skill  of  the  canal  staff  or  ot  the  femi- 
nine contingent  who  like  the  game  there  as  much  as  they  do  in 
New  York  or  Washington. 

44 


CONDENSED  FACTS  AND  FIGURES 

A  few  live  facts  and  figures,  not  too  dry  and  statistical,  but 
interesting  and  instructive,  should  be  given  at  the  beginning  of 
the  chapter  describing  the  actual  canal. 

They  answer  a  multitude  of  questions  without  the  necessity  of 
hunting  through  numerous  pages  to  find  them.  They  have  the 
effect,  at  the  same  time,  of  whetting  the  mental  appetite  for  more 
facts. 

What  follows  before  taking  up  the  more  extended  details  is 
based  on  the  admirable  official  handbook  of  the  Isthman  Canal 
Commission,  which  is  compiled  by  the  experienced  writer  and 
efficient  Secretary  of  the  Canal  Commission,  Joseph  Bucklin 
Bishop. 

When  a  steamship  leaves  the  deep  water  of  the  Caribbean  Sea 
and  enters  the  channel  of  the  canal  at  Colon  it  will  travel  just 
50  miles  before  it  reaches  deep  water  of  the  Pacific.  The  actual 
air  line,  however,  from  shore-line  to  shore-line  is  only  40  miles. 
This  vessel,  if  it  proceeds  directly  through  without  delays,  will 
require  only  from  10  to  12  hours  for  the  passage.  Of  this  time, 
3  hours  will  be  occupied  in  being  lifted  and  lowered  through  6 
locks,  3  at  Gatun,  i  at  Pedro  Miguel,  and  2  at  Miraflores. 

These  locks  are  arranged  in  parallel  pairs.  There  are,  there- 
fore, 12  locks  in  all.  Each  lock  chamber  is  1,000  feet  long 
and  no  feet  wide.  Their  concrete  walls  vary  from  about  50 
to  90  feet  in  height,  according  to  locartion,  and  the  gates  or  leaves 
of  the  locks  have  corresponding  dimensions. 

The  minimum  channel  width  at  bottom  is  300  feet  through 
Culebra  Cut;  the  maximum  is  in  Gatun  Lake,  1,000  feet.  The 
average  depth  is  45  feet,  though  in  part  of  Gatun  Lake  it  will 
be  85  feet.  This  lake  has  a  surface  of  164  square  miles  and  the 
greatest  limit  of  its  reach  is  32  miles.  The  Gatun  dam  forming 
the  lake  is  i|  miles  long,  |-mile  wide  at  its  base,  and  115  feet  high 
at  its  crest. 

The  day  Col.  Goethals,  the  great  chief  of  administration 
and  construction,  says  the  work  is  done,  over  212,000,000  cubic 
yards  of  earth  and  rock  will  have  been  excavated  by  the  Americans 
since  May  4,  1904.  The  French  excavated  approximately 
80,000,000  yards,  but  only  30,000,000  were  utilized  by  the  Ameri- 
cans.    The  actual  total  excavation  for   the    present   canal  will, 

45 


This  diagram  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  vast  volume  of  excavation  at  Panama 

therefore,  be  nearly  242,000,000  yards.  This  would  be  equal  to  a 
tunnel  or  subway  13  to  14  feet  in  diameter  through  the  8,000 
miles  of  the  earth,  or  build  a  pyramid  like  that  pictured 
above ! 

The  concrete  used  in  the  locks,  spillways,  dams,  etc.,  will  ap- 
proximate 5,000,000  cubic  yards.  This  would  build  a  wall  12 
feet  high,  8  feet  thick,  for  266  miles,  the  distance  from  New  York 
to  Washington. 

The  Panama  Railroad  is  47  miles  long  from  Colon  to  Panama. 
Its  relocation  caused  by  the  lake  and  excavations  cost  ^9,000,000. 

The  total  cost  of  the  canal,  including  payment  to  the  French 
Company  of  ^40,000,000  and  to  the  Panama  Government  of 
^10,000,000,  is  estimated  at  $375,000,000.  The  value  of  the 
work  done  by  the  French  is  placed  at  about  $25,000,000  and  the 
value  of  all  French  property  at  nearly  $43,000,000. 

About  35,000  to  40,000  have  been  the  average  number  of  men 

46 


at  work  on  the  canal.  Of  these  about  5,000  are  Americans. 
The  latter  form  what  is  called  the  "Gold  roll,"  as  they  are  paid 
in  United  States  money.  The  remainder,  largely  Jamaica 
negroes,  form  the  "Silver  roll,"  and  are  paid  in  Panama  silver 
currency. 

The  Canal  Zone  is  a  strip  of  land  10  miles  wide,  5  miles  on 
either  side  of  the  center  line  of  the  canal  channel,  reaching  from 
deep  water  of  the  Atlantic  or  Caribbean  to  deep  water  of  the 
Pacific.  It  covers  an  area  of  448  square  miles  and  by  treaty 
with  Panama  is  under  the  sovereignty  and  complete  control  of 
the  United  States  Government. 

The  administration  of  this  zone  and  the  direction  of  the  canal 
work  rests  in  the  hands  of  an  Isthmian  Canal  Commission, 
authorized  by  Congress  and  appointed  by  the  President,  of 
which  Col.  George  W.  Goethals,  U.  S.  A.,  is  Chairman  and 
Chief  Engineer.  His  instructions  give  him  almost  autocratic 
power  which,  however,  he  uses  most  wisely  and  eflfectively.  He 
is  assisted  by  the  following  other  members  of  the  Commission, 


When  the  canal  is  completed,  242,000,000  cubic  yards,  including 
used  French  excavation  of  30,000,000  yards,  of  earth  and  rock  will 
have  been  excavated.  The  same  amount  of  excavation  would  make 
a  tunnel  fourteen  feet  in  diameter,  8,000  miles  long,  through  the  very 
heart  of  the  earth,  sufficiently  large  to  permit  the  passing  of  a  New 
York  subway  train. 


47 


all  of  whom  are  men  of  exceptional  ability  and  experience : 
Col.  H.  F.  Hodges,  U.  S.  A. ;  Lieut.-Col.  D.  D.  GaiUord,  U.  S.  A. ; 
Lieut.-Col.  Wm.  L.  Sibert,  U.  S.  A.;  Civil  Engineer,  H.  H. 
Rousseau,  U.  S.  N. ;  Col.  W.  C.  Gorgas, 
U.  S.  A.;  and  Maurice  H.  Thatcher.  The 
Secretary  of  the  Commission,  already  men- 
tioned, is  Joseph  Bucklin  Bishop,  who  is  also 
editor  of  the  weekly,  eight-page  Canal 
Record,  which  publishes  the  official  orders, 
gives  reports  of  progress  of  the  work,  and 
other  useful  information. 

For  the  future  administration  and  gov- 
ernment of  the  canal,  provision  has  been 
made  in  the  Panama  Canal  Act  of  August 
24,  1912,  which  reads: 

"That  when,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
President,  the  construction  of  the  Panama 
Canal  shall  be  sufficiently  advanced  toward 
completion  to  render  the  further  services  of 
the  Isthmian  Canal  Commission  unneces- 
sary, the  President  is  authorized  by  execu- 
tive order  to  discontinue  the  Isthmian  Canal 
Commission,  which,  together  with  the  pres- 
ent organization,  shall  then  cease  to  exist; 
and  the  President  is  authorized  thereafter 
to  complete,  govern,  and  operate  the  Panama 
Canal,  and  govern  the  Canal  Zone,  or  cause 
them  to  be  completed,  governed,  and  oper- 
ated through  a  Governor  of  the  Panama 
Canal,  and  such  other  persons  as  he  may 
deem  competent  to  discharge  the  various  duties  connected  with 
the  completion,  care,  maintenance,  sanitation,  operation,  govern- 
ment, and  protection  of  the  canal  and  Canal  Zone." 
The  Governor  is  to  receive  a  salary  of  ^10,000  a  year. 
The  date  which  may  be  possibly  set  for  the  first  vessel  to  pass 
through  is  September  25,  19 13,  the  400th  anniversary  of  the 
discovery  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  by  Balboa,  although  it  is  possible 
that  Col.  Goethals  with  characteristic  modesty  and  caution  may 
make  an  unannounced  test  "with  any  old  boat"  before  that  date. 


Five  million  cubic  yards  of 
concrete  are  being  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  Panama 
Canal.  This  is  equal  to  a 
wall  eight  feet  thick,  twelve 
feet  high,  and  266  miles  long. 
Such  a  wall  would  reach 
around  the  State  of  Dela- 
ware, as  shown  by  the  above 
diagram. 


Vessels  carrying  cargo  and  passengers,  other  than  those  engaged 
in  the  coast-to-coast  trade  of  the  United  States,  passing  through 
the  canal  after  it  is  opened  to  traffic,  will,  in  accordance  with  the 
President's  proclamation  of  November  13,  1912,  pay  a  toll  of  one 
dollar  and  twenty  cents  ($1.20)  on  each  net  vessel  ton  —  each 
one  hundred  cubic  feet  of  cargo  or  earning  capacity.  For  instance, 
a  vessel  of  5,000  net  tons  will  pay  ^6,000  for  each  passage.  Ves- 
sels in  ballast  will  pay  40%  less;  naval  vessels,  that  is,  actual 
men-of-war,  will  pay  fifty  cents  (^.50)  per  displacement  ton; 
army  and  navy  transports,  colliers,  hospital  supply  ships,  one 
dollar  and  twenty  cents  (^1.20)  per  net  ton,  like  cargo  and  pas- 
senger vessels. 

Professor  Emory  R.  Johnson,  the  noted  statistician  and  Special 
Commissioner  on  Panama  traffic  and  tolls,  in  his  report,  on  which 
the  President  based  his  proclamation,  estimates  that  the  total 
tonnage  of  ships  using  the  canal  during  1915  and  1916  will  be 
10,500,000.  At  an  average  of  4,000  net  tons  each,  this  would 
mean  that  2,625  vessels  would  pass  through  the  canal  the  first 
year,  or  a  daily  average  of  seven.  The  total  net  tonnage  of  the 
Suez  Canal  in  191 1  was  18,000,000. 


STEAM  SHOVEL  AT  WORK 
49 


5° 


WHAT  THE   CANAL   ACTUALLY   IS 

Now  let  us  consider  just  what  the  canal  is.  What  are  its  sub- 
divisions ?  What  are  its  principal  features  ?  What  is  to  be 
chiefly  noted  by  the  visitor  to  the  Isthmus  or  the  stay-at-home 
who  really  wants  to  get  a  good  idea  in  his  eye  and  mind  of  the 
canal  ?  In  reading  this  chapter  the  illustrations  and  map  on  pages 
10,  29,  and  122  should  be  consulted. 

Beginning  at  the  Caribbean  deep-sea-bottom  contour  of  41 
feet  near  the  end  of  the  Point  Toro  breakwater,  the  canal  is 
dredged  directly  south  through  Limon  or  Colon  Bay  5  miles 
to  the  regular  shore  line  and  thence  about  2  miles  through  low- 
lying  land,  almost  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  entrance  of  the  Gatun 
locks.  Throughout  this  sea-level  distance  of  seven  miles  the 
channel  will  have  a  minimum  depth  of  41  feet  and  a  width  of 
500  feet,  but  this  will  be  widened  ofi^  Colon  and  Cristobal  for 
anchorage  and  dock  purposes. 

The  Point  Toro  rock  breakwater  at  the  entrance  of  the  canal 
will  be  11,700  feet,  or  over  two  miles  in  length,  15  feet  wide  at  the 
top  and  10  feet  above  sea  level,  and  cost  ^5,500,000.  It  is  an 
absolute  necessity  to  protect  the  canal  and  shipping  against  the 
fierce  northers  which  sometimes  blow  with  typhoon  energy. 

At  Gatun  there  will  be  two  parallel  sets  of  locks  of  three  flights 
each,  which  will  lift  vessels  from  sea  level  to  the  85-foot  level  of 
Gatun  Lake  and  Culebra  Cut,  with  an  average  raise  of  28^  feet 
at  each  flight.  These  will  be  the  largest,  most  wonderful,  and 
most  interesting  locks  in  the  world,  and  will  make  a  thrilling 
picture  when  they  are  first  in  action,  as  it  were,  and  enable  the 
"Oregon"  to  accomplish  in  eight  hours  in  19 13  the  journey  which 
required  a  month  in  1898. 

These  locks,  built  entirely  of  concrete,  are  too  big  to  fully  grasp 
at  a  glance,  but  their  dimensions  enable  us  to  partially  measure 
them.  Each  will  be  1,000  feet  long  and  1 10  feet  wide  in  the  clear. 
The  total  length  of  the  Gatun  flight  with  approach  walls  will  be 
over  3,500  feet  or  nearly  two-thirds  of  a  mile  and  the  entire  width 
about  300  feet  at  the  top.  The  massive  side  walls  will  be  81 
feet  high,  45  to  50  feet  wide  at  the  floor  level  and  then  gradually 
taper  to  8  feet  at  the  top.  The  huge  middle  or  separating  wall 
will  be  60  feet  wide,  carrying  near  its  base  a  great  central  culvert, 
through  which  the  water,  rushing,  in  turn,  into  smaller  or  lateral 

51 


52 


branch  culverts  under  and  up  through  the  floors  of  the  locks, 
will  flood  each  chamber  and  float  the  passing  vessels.  This 
main  central  culvert,  extending  the  entire  distance  of  the  lock, 
wrill  be  1 8  to  22  feet  in  diameter  and  could  hold  a  Mogul  locomo- 
tive while  the  laterals  would  make  an  easy  driveway  for  a  two- 
horse  truck  wagon.  There  are  also  culverts  in  the  two  side  walls 
of  corresponding  size,  so  that  an  entire  lock  can  be  filled  or 
emptied,  using  one  culvert,  in  15  minutes  and  42  seconds,  and, 
using  two  culverts,  in  7  minutes  and  51  seconds.  This  will  be 
extraordinarily  quick  work  considering  the  enormous  size  of  the 
locks,  but  will  provide  quick  passage  for  ships.  These  culverts  are 
also  so  arranged  and  controlled  by  valves  that  the  water  from  one 
lock  can  be  used  to  fill  the  one  below  it  or  the  one  alongside  of  it. 


CROSS    SECTION   OF   LOCK   CHAMBER   AND   WALLS    OF   LOCKS 

A    Passageway  for  operators.        B    Gallery  for  electric  wires.        C    Drainage  gallery.  D    Culvert  in  center  wall. 

E    These  culverts  run  under  the  lock  floors  and  alternate  with  those  from  sidewalls.  F    Wells  opening  from  lateral 

culverts  into  lock  chamber.        G    Culvert  in  sidewalls.       H    Lateral  Culvert. 

The  locks  are  built  in  parallel  pairs  for  reasons  both  of  safety 
and  expedition.  If  one  set  is  out  of  commission,  the  other  can 
be  used.  If  vessels  are  coming  up  in  one  set,  others  can  be 
descending  in  the  parallel  set. 

The  lock  gates  or  leaves  almost  overwhelm  one  with  their 
magnitude  and  majesty.  The  layman  wonders  how  they  can  be 
safely  and  successfully  manipulated.  The  individual  leaves  of 
the  gates  vary  in  height  from  45  feet  7  inches  at  the  end  of  the 
upper  flight  or  third  level  to  79  feet  at  the  beginning  of  the  first 
flight  or  level.  They  are  7  feet  thick  and  65  feet  long.  Two  sets 
of  gates  separate  the  high  level  from  the  lower  level  as  protection 
in  case  one  set  is  damaged  by  a  collision  with  a  vessel  or  other- 
wise put  out  of  use.  A  huge  chain  is  also  dropped  in  front  of 
the  gates,  made  of  such  size  and  strength  that  it  could  check  a 
ship  of  10,000  tons  moving  at  five  miles  an  hour. 

53 


SECTION    OF    WALLS    AND    CULVERTS 
OF  LOCKS 

Compared    to    a    six-story    building,    a    railroad 
locomotive,  and  a  two-horse  conveyance 


For  absolute  safety  still  another  remarkable  precaution  is  pro- 
vided. At  the  head  of  each  flight  of  locks  are  emergency  dams, 
consisting  of  swing  bridges,  which  in  case  of  an  accident  can  be 

drawn  across  the  locks. 
From  these  swing  bridges 
wicker  girders  are  let  down. 
They,  in  turn,  are  supported 
by  a  sill  at  the  bottom  and 
the  horizontal  truss-work  of 
the  bridge  at  the  top.  These 
wicker  girders  act  as  run- 
ways for  gates  which  are 
lowered  and  gradually  stop 
the  flow. 

In  each  lock  are  interme- 
diate gates  forming  lesser 
lock  chambers  of  600  and 
400  feet  length,  respectively, 
to  take  care  of  the  great 
majority  of  vessels  and  to  save  the  necessity  of  filling  the  whole 
1,000  feet  of  the  regular  locks. 

Ships  will  not  be  allowed  in  either  ot  the  locks  under  their  own 
steam,  but  will  be  towed  from  one  end  to  the  other  by  specially 
designed  powerful  electric  motor  locomotives  running  on  tracks 
laid  along  the  central  and  side  walls  of  the  locks.  There  will  be 
two  of  these  motors  in  front  on  either  side  and  two  behind,  so  that 
they  will  have  absolute  control  of  the  vessel.  The  electricity 
which  will  not  only  operate  these  motors  but  all  the  gates  and 
valves  of  the  canal  will  be  generated  by  water  turbines  located 
at  the  spillway  of  the  Gatun  Dam. 

To  pass  a  vessel  through  the  three  locks  at  Gatun  will  require 
about  one  and  one-half  hours  or  30  minutes  to  each  lock.  Esti- 
mating on  this  basis,  the  average  ship  will  -require  3  hours  to 
pass  through  all  the  locks  of  the  canal,  while  the  time  required 
for  the  vessel  to  go  from  tide-water  of  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
is  estimated  to  be  from  10  to  12  hours,  according  to  the  size  of 
the  ship  and  the  rate  of  speed  at  which  it  can  travel.  This  is  a 
remarkably  short  period  of  time  considering  the  ponderous  mech- 
anism employed  and  the  distance  that  is  saved.     It  is  an  inter- 


54 


esting  contrast  that  a  vessel  in  going  from  Colon  to  Panama  in 
12  hours  accomplishes  a  journey  which  made  around  South 
America  would  take  from  30  to  45  days. 

Before  we  leave  the  Gatun  Locks,  one  fact  should  be  remem- 
bered as  giving  another  idea  of  their  magnitude.  Over  2,000,000 
cubic  yards  of  concrete  have  been  required  to  construct  them. 
This  would  make  a  wall  8  feet  wide  and  12  feet  high  133  miles 
long,  or  half  way  around  the  State  of  Delaware,  while  all  the  con- 
crete used  in  the  construction  of  the  canal,  between  4,000,000 
and  5,000,000  cubic  yards,  would  completely  enclose  that  State 
with  a  wall  of  these  dimensions  and  be  able  to  impound  the 
largest  fresh-water  reservoir  in  the  world. 

All  suggestion  or  speculation  that  these  and  the  other  locks 
might  be  some  day  destroyed  by  earthquake  is  unwarranted. 
They  are  as  solid  and  eternal  as  the  hills  of  Panama.  Concrete 
construction  of  this  kind,  as  proved  at  San  Francisco,  is  earth- 
quake proof. 

Possibly  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the  canal  at  Gatun  is 
not  the  great  triple  flight  of  locks  but  the  wide-world  discussed 


LOOKING  SOUTH,  SHOWING  THREE  FLIGHTS   OF  LOCKS,  GATUN 

55 


56 


Gatun  Dam  which  extends  across  the  valley  from  the  locks  to  the 
hills  on  the  west  and  forms  the  Gatun  Lake,  in  which  the  water 
will  be  backed  up  32  miles  to  the  Pedro  Miguel  lock  on  the  Pacific 
side  of  the  canal.  No  feature  of  the  canal  has  been  more  argued 
about,  pro  and  con,  than  this  dam,  and  yet  when  the  visitor  to 
the  Isthmus  sees  it  for  the  first  time  he  is  overwhelmingly  dis- 
appointed. He  looks  in  vain  for  what  he  has  always  pictured 
in  his  mind  to  be  a  dam  and  he  sees  nothing  but  apparently  a 
low-lying  hill  with  gradual  slopes  having  in  its  center  a  small 
concrete  cut  and  dam  called  the  spillway  and  intended  to  take 
care  of  the  overflow  of  water  from  the  lake. 

In  order  to  fully  understand  this  description  of  the  Gatun  Dam, 
the  outline  diagrams  on  page  52  should  be  carefully  studied. 
This  dam  or  rock  and  earth  embankment,  to  describe  it  correctly, 
is  nearly  8,000  feet  or  i^  miles  long  measured  on  its  crest,  about 
2,100  feet  or  |  mile  wide  at  its  base,  approximately  400  feet  wide 
at  the  water  level,  100  feet  wide  at  the  top,  which  will  be  at  an 
elevation  of  115  feet  above  sea  level,  or  30  feet  above  the  mean 
level  of  the  lake. 

To  construct  this  dam  "toes,"  or,  in  the  layman's  language, 
the  lower  edges  of  the  slopes,  were  first  built  of  broken  rock 
brought  from  Culebra  Cut,  making  two  walls  along  the  whole 
length  of  the  dam  about  1,200  feet  apart.  The  spaces  between 
were  built  up  with  a  hydraulic  fill  of  impervious  clay  material 
pumped  in  by  pipe-line  dredges,  which  gradually  dried  and 
hardened  into  a  solid  mass  as  the  water  drained  off,  and  left  a 
barrier  almost  equal  to  concrete  in  its  capacity  to  resist  water  and 
stand  the  strain  of  the  lake  pressure. 

That  the  building  of  this  dam  was  no  small  undertaking  is 
appreciated  when  it  is  realized  that  it  contains  22,100,000  cubic 
yards  of  rock  and  earth,  or  a  quantity  of  material  equal  to  about 
one-tenth  of  the  total  excavation  for  the  entire  canal.  While  it 
was  necessary  for  the  engineers  to  remove  a  mountain  at  Culebra 
they  have  had  to  build  another  in  order  to  dam  the  Chagres 
River  and  provide  the  water  for  the  Gatun  Lake. 

The  spillway  in  the  center  6f  the  dam  is  a  very  important 
feature  of  this  work.  Fortunately,  nature  had  left  a  small  hill 
of  solid  rock  in  the  center  of  the  valley.  Through  this  hill  the 
spillway  has  been  constructed  so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  its 

57 


58 


ever  being  washed  away.  Its  floor  and  side  walls  of  concrete 
are  securely  anchored  into  this  rock  hill.  The  spillway  of  the 
dam  will  have  its  solid  crest  at  an  elevation  of  69  feet,  but  piers 
8^  feet  wide  were  built  on  top  of  the  crest  and  grooved  for  gates 
which  will  close  the  openings  and  complete  the  upper  portion  of 
the  dam. 

When  the  spillway  gates  are  raised  to  the  full  height,  they  will 
permit  a  passage  of  140,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second.  This 
water  will  pass  through  a  diversion  channel  into  the  old  bed  of 
the  Chagres  and  flow  out  to  sea.  About  250,000  cubic  feet  of 
concrete  have  been  used  in  the  construction  of  the  spillway. 
Below  it  will  be  placed  the  great  power  plant  containing  the 
turbines  which,  run  by  the  water  coming  from  the  overflow  of 
the  dam,  will  provide  all  the  electricity  and  power  required  for 
the  entire  canal. 

Gatun  Lake  itself  with  its  surface  85  feet  above  sea  level  will 
be  a  beautiful  inland  basin  of  fresh  water  covering  an  area  of  164 
square  miles  and  containing  206,000,000,000  cubic  feet  of  water! 
Draining  a  watershed  comprising  1,320  square  miles,  it  will  be 
dotted  with  numerous  islands  and  surrounded  by  rolling  hills, 
which  will  provide  a  picturesque  passage  for  steamers  passing 
from  ocean  to  ocean.  Being  of  fresh  water,  it  will  serve  to  clean 
the  bottoms  of  vessels  befouled  by  long  journeys  through  salt 
water. 

The  chief  source  of  supply  for  the  water  of  Gatun  Lake  is  the 
famous  Chagres  River,  whose  old  bed  crossed  the  canal  31 
miles  from  the  Atlantic  entrance  and  23  miles  from  the  Gatun 
Dam,  flowing  from  the  northeast  to  the  canal,  which  it  struck 
nearly  at  right  angles  and  then  took  its  course  almost  due 
northwest  to  the  point  where  it  empties  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
During  8  or  9  months  of  the  year  the  lake  will  be  kept  constantly 
filled  to  its  capacity  and,  consequently,  a  surplus  will  need  to  be 
stored  for  only  3  or  4  months  of  the  dry  season.  During  the  rainy 
season,  the  water  surface  will  be  maintained  at  87  feet  above  sea 
level,  making  the  minimum  channel  depth  of  the  canal  47  feet. 
As  navigation  can  be  carried  on  at  about  41  feet  of  water,  there 
will  be  stored  for  the  dry  season  nearly  6  feet  of  water.  Making 
due  allowances  for  evaporation,  seepage,  leakage  at  the  gates, 
and  power  consumption,   this  would  be   ample  for  40  passages 

59 


daily  through  the  locks  using  them  at  full  length,  or  about  58 
lockages  a  day  when  partial  length  is  used  as  would  usually  be 
the  case.  This  would  permit  a  larger  number  of  passages  of  ships 
than  will  probably  ever  be  required. 

The  one  all-convincing  reason  why  a  sea-level  canal  was  not 
attempted  was  the  difficulty  of  controlling  the  resistless  and 
relentless  floods  of  the  Chagres  River.  This  moody  and  incon- 
siderate stream  has  a  record  of  raising  25^  feet  in  24  hours,  and 
it  can  be  easily  imagined  what  would  be  the  effect  on  a  sea-level 
canal  of  a  torrent  like  this  pouring  into  it.  By  constructing  a 
high-level  canal  and  impounding  a  great  lake,  the  Chagres  can 
do  its  worst  and  practically  have  no  bad  effects  except  to  deposit 
some  silt,  which  can  be  easily  removed  by  the  large  dredges  always 
ready  for  operation  in  the  lake.  If  the  Chagres  poured  its 
greatest  flood  continually  for  5  hours  and  20  minutes  into  the 
lake  it  could  raise  it  only  one  foot  in  that  time,  and  this,  in  turn, 
could  be  immediately  counterbalanced  if  necessary  by  lowering 
the  gates  at  the  spillway  of  the  Gatun  Dam. 

From  the  Gatun  Locks  through  the  lake  to  Tabernilla,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  16  miles,  the  channel  of  the  canal  will  have  a 
width  of  1,000  feet,  and  vessels  can  proceed  at  almost  full  speed. 
From  Tabernilla  to  Mamei  the  channel  will  be  800  feet  wide; 


LOOKING  NORTH  THROUGH  UPPER  LOCKS,  GATUN 

60 


INSPECTING  GIANT  GATES  AT  GATUN  LOCKS 

Major  Von  Herwarth  (in  white,  second  from  right  end), 
German  Militar7  Attache,  and  John  Barrett  (second  from 
left),  Director  General  of  the  Pan  American  Union. 

Copyright  by  Brown  &  Dawson,  Stamford,  Conn. 


from  Mamei  half  way  to 
Gorgon  a,  700  feet;  from 
there  to  a  point  near 
where  the  Chagres  River 
strikes  the  canal,  500  feet; 
and  then  for  nearly  9 
miles  through  Culebra 
Cut  to  Pedro  Miguel, 
300  feet;  from  Pedro 
Miguel  Lock  to  Mira- 
flores  Locks  and  thence 
to  deep  water  and  Pana- 
ma Bay,  500-  feet  wide. 
These  widths  prove 
beyond  question  that  the 
canal  will  be  amply  wide 
for  the  largest  vessels 
which  will  ever  use  it  to 
pass.  The  maximum 
width  will  be  1,000  feet, 
the  minimum  300  feet, 
and  the  minimum  depth, 
41  feet. 

After  passing  through 
the  lake  the  most  spec- 
tacular section  of  the 
canal  is  reached — the 
Culebra  Cut.  Although 
this  nominally  extends 
over  9  miles  from  Gam- 
boa  to  Pedro  Miguel 
Lock,  the  really  fascinat- 
ing and  overwhelmingly 
interesting  portion  is  the 
two  or  three  miles  through 
the  summit  of  the  con- 
tinental divide,  lying  be- 
tween Gold  Hill  on  the 
east  and  Culebra  Hill  on 


61 


62 


the  west.  Here  the  canal  is  almost  a  scenic  canyon,  a  mighty, 
august,  and  impressive  artificial  gorge  dug  by  the  hand  of  man 
operating  regiments  of  steam  shovels,  batteries  of  drills,  armies 
of  railway  dump  cars,  and  exploding  millions  of  pounds  of  dyna- 
mite. When  the  stranger  first  glances  at  this  yawning  fissure, 
looks  down  into  its  noisy  depths,  and  then  has  pointed  out  to  him  ' 
the  imaginary  line  where  the  crest  of  the  hill  was  originally  con- 
nected, he  marvels  at  what  has  been  done  in  the  last  eight  years. 
Incidentally,  when  he  has  pointed  out  to  him  how  much  the 
French  excavated,  he  cannot  help  also  admiring  their  achieve- 
ments and  their  persistency  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  odds. 
In  fact,  despite  all  the  unfortunate  memories  connected  with  the 
French  effort  to  build  the  canal,  the  impartial  student  of  the 
history  of  this  waterway  cannot  refrain  from  doing  honor  to  a 
large  body  of  French  engineers  and  workmen  who  did  their  best 
to  dig  the  canal  and  bring  real  honor  to  the  name  of  France. 
They  are  not  to  be  blamed  but  rather  to  be  pittied  because  certain 
men  and  influences  connected  with  the  financing  of  the  under- 
taking pursued  methods  which  handicapped  and  finally  ended 
without  success  their  labors  and  sacrifice.  Altogether  they 
excavated  along  the  line  of  the  canal  nearly  80,000,000  cubic 
yards,  of  which  nearly  30,000,000  have  been  utilized  in  the  present 
adopted  plan  of  the  canal. 


SPILLWAY   OF   GATUiS;    DAM   L\   CONSIRLCTION 


63 


64 


When  the  canal  is  finally  completed  the  total  excavation  will 
represent  242,000,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  and  earth,  of  which 
212,000,000  will  have  been  done  under  American  control  since 
early  in  1904.  In  the  Culebra  section,  approximately  106,000,000 
cubic  yards  will  have  been  excavated,  or  practically  half  of  the 
entire  American  work.  This  total  has  been  much  increased  by 
the  numerous  slides  which  have  taken  place  along  the  precip- 
itous slopes  of  the  Culebra  section.  These,  however,  are  not  a 
serious  or  lasting  menace  to  the  canal  and  will  be  removed 
without  delaying  the  date  of  the  opening  of  this  waterway.  After 
the  canal  is  completed,  even  though  they  continue  to  some  extent, 
the  dredges  will  be  able  to  keep  the  channel  clear  while  the  water 
itself  will  act  as  a  resistance  to  further  slides.  To  fully  realize 
the  magnitude  and  difficulty  of  the  work  through  the  Culebra 
section,  the  visitor  to  the  canal  should  try  either  to  ride  or  walk 
through  it  and  see  the  shovels,  spoil  trains,  drills,  and  laborers  at 
work.     The  impression  made  upon  him  will  never  be  forgotten. 

The  Culebra  section  is  terminated  by  the  Pedro  Miguel  locks, 
which,  with  a  small  earth  dam  about  1,104  ^^^^  lo^g>  having  a 
concrete  core  wall  connecting  the  lock  and  the  high  ground  to 
the  westward,  and  having  its  crest  at  an  elevation  of  105  feet  above 
mean  sea  level,  forms  a  small  lake  and  bay.  The  locks  at  Pedro 
Miguel  have  only  one  flight,  with  a  lift  or  descent  of  30^  feet. 

Two  miles  south  of  the  Pedro  Miguel  locks  are  the  Miraflores 


byj  the  French 


iieievt  uatedby  tlie  Uiiltocl  States 

L_  : :^--.:.:- :J 

,40 


CULEBRA  CUT 
Cross  Section 

at 
Station  1797. 


Looking  toward  Panama 


400'    300'   320'    280'   240'    200'  ICO'    120'    8O'     40'       O'      40'      8O'    120'   I6O'  200 '  240'   280'   320'   360'   400'   440'    480'   520'  d60' 


WORKS,    BUFFALO, 


65 


LOOKING  NORTH  AT  CUNETTE,  SHOWING  APPROACH  TO  CULEBRA   CUT 

locks,  consisting  of  two  flights  with  a  combined  hft  or  descent  at 
mean  tide  of  54I  feet.  Connecting  the  Miraflores  locks  with  a 
high  ground  on  the  other  side  are  two  dams  impounding  a  small 
lake  about  two  square  miles  in  area,  with  a  surface  elevation  of 
55  feet  above  mean  sea  level.  The  dam  to  the  westward  will  be  of 
earth  about  700  feet  long  with  its  crest  15  feet  above  the  water. 
The  east  dam  will  be  of  concrete  about  500  feet  long  and  having 
a  spillway  with  crest  gates  similar  to  those  at  Gatun  Dam. 

Both  the  single  flight  of  locks  at  Pedro  Miguel  and  the  two 
flights  at  Miraflores  are  constructed  and  operated  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  locks  at  Gatun,  differing  from  them  slightly  in 
some  lesser  dimensions  of  gates,  sills,  etc. 

From  the  entrance  to  the  lower  flight  of  Miraflores  locks,  the 
canal  proceeds  at  sea  level  with  a  channel  500  feet  wide,  8  miles 
long,  to  the  deep  water  contour  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  This 
latter  point  is  almost  directly  opposite  the  four  little  islands  in 
Panama  Bay,  Culebra,  Perico,  Flemenco,  and  Naos,  on  which 
are  being  constructed  the  powerful  fortifications  to  defend  the 
Pacific  entrance. 

Where  the  canal  meets  the  shore  line  of  the  sea  is  Balboa,  the 
Pacific  terminus  of  the  great  waterway,  about  two  miles  west  of 

66 


Panama  City,  and  the  site  of  the  extensive  wharves,  warehouses, 
coal  deposits,  and  large  dry  dock  included  in  the  canal  plan. 
From  Sosa  Hill,  just  back  of  Balboa,  out  to  the  island  of  Naos, 
extending  over  17,000  feet,  a  little  more  than  3  miles,  is  a 
breakwater  constructed  of  the  spoil  brought  from  Culebra  Cut. 
It  will  be  parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  canal  and  protect  it  from  being 
silted  up  by  the  waters  of  Panama  Bay. 

All  along  the  line  of  the  canal  wherever  there  is  a  change  in  the 
direction  of  the  channel  are  range  lights  in  gracefully  built  light- 
houses that  look  strange,  indeed,  towering  up  through  the  jungle 
and  on  the  land  of  the  Isthmus  away  from  the  sea  with  the  thought 
of  which  lighthouses  are  always  associated. 

The  Panama  Railway  parallels  the  canal  from  Colon  and 
Cristobal  as  far  as  Gatun.  From  there  it  formerly  ran  all  the 
way  close  to  the  line  of  the  canal,  but  on  account  of  the  lake 
overflow  and  the  slides  in  Culebra  Cut  it  has  been  relocated  for 
a  distance  of  nearly  32  miles  from  Gatun  to  Pedro  Miguel.  At 
present  an  old  section  from  Bas  Obispo  to  Pedro  Miguel  on  the 
west  side  of  the  canal  is  operated  because  of  the  necessity  of 
reaching  the  towns  and  stations  like  Culebra,  Empire,  and 
Gorgona;  but  when  the  canal  is  completed  these  tracks  will  be 


GIGANTIC   SLIDE   ON   WEST   BANK  NEAR   CULEBRA 


67 


68 


removed  and  these  towns  deserted  and  allowed  to  grow  up  into 
jungle,  with  the  main  line  of  the  road  running  back  of  the  hills 
on  the  east  side  of  the  canal.  This  relocation  obviates  any 
necessity  of  bridges  or  crossings  which  might  handicap  the  passing 
of  vessels.  The  whole  roadway  is  an  example  of  the  highest-class 
construction,  and  the  main  road,  though  limited  in  mileage,  is 
operated  with  the  skill  of  a  great  system.  When  it  is  considered 
that  it  is  interlocked  everywhere  with  all  the  side  and  switch 
tracks  used  by  the  canal  dump  trains,  it  is  remarkable  how 
smoothly  it  is  run  without  mixups,  collisions,  or  accidents.  Its 
one  peculiarity,  compared  to  the  roads  of  the  United  States,  is 
its  exceptionally  broad  or  5-foot  gauge.  Its  rolling  stock  com- 
pares favorably  with  the  best  roads  of  the  United  States. 

As  to  the  time  of  completion  and  use  of  the  canal  I  quote 
from  a  circular  issued  recently  by  the  Commission:  "While 
the  official  date  of  opening  has  been  set  for  January  i,  1915,  it 
is  the  intention  to  allow  vessels  to  utilize  the  canal  just  as  soon 
as  practicable.  Present  indications  seem  to  bear  out  the  opinion 
*  *  *  that  this  can  be  accomplished  during  the  latter  half  of 
19 13,  although  it  is  too  far  in  advance  at  this  time  to  fix  any 
definite  date.  Shipping  interests  will,  however,  be  advised  as 
soon  as  the  Commission  feels  assured  that  vessels  can  be  passed 
without  unnecessary  delay." 


MIRAFLORES  LOCKS  IN  CONSTRUCTION  AND  APPROACH  FROM  PACIFIC  SIDE 


69 


THE    CANAL   COMMISSION 
Joseph  C  Bishop,  Secretary  Lieut.-Col.  Wm.  L.  Sibert  Maurice  H.  Thatcher 

Col.  Geo.  W.  Goethals,  Chairman  Coi..  Wm.  C.  Gorgas 

Lieut.-Col.  H.  F.  Hodges  Lieut.-Col.  D.  D.  Gaillard  H.  H.  Rousseau 

By  permission  of  Harris  &  EwiniLj-,  and  Clinedinst,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  Pach,  New  York 


7° 


ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION 

The  wonderful  organization  and  administration  of  the  canal 
and  the  Canal  Zone,  which  Colonel  Goethals  and  his  efficient 
staff  have  developed,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  a 
study  of  the  Isthmus.  This  administration  includes  departments 
of  construction  and  engineering,  subsistence,  quartermaster,  civil 
administration,  judiciary,  law,  sanitation,  disbursements,  exami- 
nation of  accounts,  purchasing  department,  and  Panama  Rail- 
road Company. 

Under  the  head  of  construction  and  engineering  there  are  the 
headquarters  at  Culebra,  where  are  located  Col.  George  W. 
Goethals,  Chairman  and  Chief  Engineer;  Col.  H.  F.  Hodges, 
Assistant  Chief  Engineer;  and  Civil  Engineer  H.  H.  Rousseau, 
Assistant  Chief  Engineer;  the  Central  Division,  with  headquarters 
at  Empire,  presided  over  by  Lieut. -Col.  D.  D.  Gaillard,  Division 
Engineer;  the  Atlantic  Division,  with  headquarters  at  Gatun, 
presided  over  by  Lieut.-Col.  William  L.  Sibert,  Division  Engineer; 
Pacific  Division,  with  headquarters  at  Corozal,  presided  over  by 
S.  B.  Williamson,  Division  Engineer;  and  Mechanical  Division, 
with  headquarters  at  Gorgona,  A.  L.  Robinson,  Superintendent. 
The  Subsistence  Department,  which  has  its  headquarters  at 
Cristobal,  adjoining  Colon,  is  under  charge  of  Lieut.-Col.  George 
T.  Wilson.  The  Quartermaster's  Department  has  its  head- 
quarters at  Culebra,  as  does  the  Department  of  Construction 
and  Engineering.  It  is  under  the  direction  of  Col.  C.  A.  Devol, 
Chief  Quartermaster. 

The  Department  of  Civil  Administration,  which  looks  after 
the  government  of  the  Canal  Zone,  has  its  headquarters  at  Ancon, 
with  Maurice  H.  Thatcher  head  of  the  department.  The  De- 
partment of  Canal  Zone  Judiciary  has  headquarters  at  Ancon, 
and  there  sits  the  Supreme  Court,  of  which  H.  A.  Gudger  is 
Chief  Justice,  and  Thomas  E.  Brown,  Jr.,  and  William  H.  Jack- 
son, Associate  Justices.  Also  at  Ancon  is  the  Department  of 
Law,  of  which  Frank  Feuille  is  Counsel  and  Chief  Attorney,  and 
William  K.  Jackson  is  Prosecuting  Attorney. 

The  Department  of  Sanitation,  which  is  of  great  interest  to 
every  one,  has  its  headquarters  at  Ancon.  At  the  head  of  this 
is  Col.  W.  C.  Gorgas,  as  Chief  Sanitary  Officer,  and  Col.  John  L. 
Phillips,  Assistant  Chief  Sanitary  Officer.     The  Departments  of 

71 


Disbursements,  with  Edward  J.  Williams  as  Disbursing  Officer, 
and  of  Accounts,  with  H.  A.  A.  Smith  as  Examiner  of  Accounts, 
have  their  headquarters  at  Empire,  not  far  from  Culebra.  The 
Purchasing  Department  has  its  headquarters  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  At  the  head  of  this,  as  Chief  Purchasing  Officer,  is  Major 
F.  C.  Boggs,  with  A.  L.  Flint  as  his  assistant.  The  Department 
of  the  Panama  Railroad  Company  not  only  has  headquarters  at 
Colon,  under  J.  A.  Smith  as  General  Superintendent,  but  general 
offices  at  24  State  Street,  New  York  City,  in  charge  of  E.  A.  Drake. 

The  recruiting  and  housing  of  the  canal  forces  are  looked  after 
by  the  Quartermasters  Department.  These  forces  are  divided 
into  the  so-called  "gold"  and  "silver"  rolls.  The  former  con- 
sists of  the  officials,  clerical  force,  construction  men,  and  skilled 
artisans  of  the  Canal  Commission  and  the  Panama  Railroad, 
nearly  all  of  whom  are  Americans.  The  latter  include  the  un- 
skilled laborers,  of  whom  the  greater  part  are  West  Indians, 
and  the  lesser  number  Europeans  largely  from  Spain  and  Italy. 
The  standard  rate  of  wage  for  the  West  Indian  laborer  is  10 
cents  an  hour,  though  those  who  are  especially  skilled  get  from 
16  to  20  cents.  The  major  portion  of  the  Spaniards  earn  20 
cents  an  hour  and  the  smaller  part  16  cents.  The  value  of  the 
constant  stock  of  supplies  carried  in  the  general  storehouses  of 
the  Commission  and  the  Panama  Railroad  is  approximately 
^4,500,000,  while  $12,000,000  worth  of  supphes  are  purchased 
annually,  requiring  the  discharge  on  an  average  of  one  steamer 
a  day. 

The  Subsistence  Department,  supplying  the  food,  clothing, 
and  other  necessaries,  does  a  business  of  about  $7,500,000  annu- 
ally. It  has  22  general  stores  in  the  villages  and  camps  of  the 
Canal  Zone  and  Panama  Railroad,  and  it  is  estimated  that, 
including  both  employes  and  their  dependents,  65,000  people  are 
daily  supplied  with  food,  clothing,  and  other  necessaries.  Aside 
from  these  stores  there  are  operated  at  Cristobal  cold  storage, 
ice-making,  bakery,  coffee  roasting,  ice-cream,  and  laundry 
plants.  Every  day  there  leaves  Cristobal,  on  the  Atlantic  side 
of  the  canal,  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  supply  train  of  21 
cars  carrying  ice,  meats,  other  perishable  food  articles,  and 
various  supplies  which,  in  turn,  are  distributed  to  the  houses 
of  the  employes. 

72 


Pay  Day 


THE   WORKERS 
A  Typical  Labor  Train 

Station  Scene  at  Cristobal 

n 


Dinner  Time 


ADMINISTRATION   BUILDING   (LEFT),  HOUSES,  AND   EMPLOYES'   QUART KK.S   AT 
CULEBRA    CUT   ON   THE   RIGHT 

Aside  from  the  large  hotel  Tivoli,  at  Ancon,  there  are  i8 
hotels  along  the  line  of  the  canal  for  white,  "gold,"  employes, 
at  which  good  meals  are  served  for  only  30  cents  each.  Two 
hundred  thousand  meals  are  served  on  an  average  each  month. 
The  European  laborers  have  some  16  messes,  in  which  they 
pay  40  cents  per  ration  of  three  meals.  These  messes  average 
270,000  meals  a  month.  For  the  West  Indian  laborers  14  kitchens 
are  operated,  at  which  they  receive  a  ration  of  three  meals  at  25 
cents  per  ration.  At  these,  100,000  meals  on  an  average  are 
served  monthly.  If  the  visitor  to  the  Canal  Zone  has  time  to 
study  the  subsistence  and  quartermaster  departments,  he  can- 
not fail  to  find  them  interesting. 

The  enormous  equipment  of  the  canal  for  construction  pur- 
poses includes  approximately  100  steam  shovels,  315  locomotives 
(aside  from  70  of  the  Panama  Railroad),  560  drills,  4,400  flat 
and  dump  cars  (aside  from  1,500  cars  of  the  Panama  Railroad), 
20  dredges,  30  unloaders,  25  spreaders,  10  track  shifters,  19 
pile  drivers,  57  cranes,  12  tugs,  70  barges,  lighters,  and  scows, 
14  launches,  rock  breakers,  tow  boats,  drill  boats,  etc.  Some 
of  the  old  French  machinery  has  been  utilized,  but  the  greater 
part  of  the  equipment  is  American. 

The  average  cost  of  dry  excavation  in  the  Central  Division, 
including  Culebra  Cut,  during   1911,  was   63.37-100   cents   per 

74 


cubic  yard;  for  dredging  in  the  sea-level  sections,  approximately 
26  cents  per  cubic  yard. 

The  fortifications,  which  will  be  at  both  entrances  to  the  canal, 
will  include  16-inch,  14-inch,  and  6-inch  rifle  cannon,  and  12- 
inch  mortars  of  the  most  powerful  and  effective  types  made, 
aside  from  submarine  mines.  The  garrison  will  consist  of  the 
necessary  coast  artillery;  three  regiments  of  infantry,  with  a 
war  strength  of  nearly  2,000  men  for  each  regiment;  a  squadron 
of  cavalry,  and  a  battalion  of  field  artillery.  On  the  Isthmus, 
at  the  present  time,  is  a  small  marine  and  infantry  garrison, 
whose  presence  is  chiefly  a  moral  influence  for  the  maintenance 
of  order  on  the  Isthmus.  For  the  construction  of  fortifications, 
$3,000,000  have  been  appropriated. 

Each  cubic  yard  of  average  rock  weighs  about  two  tons,  or 
3,900  pounds;  of  earth,  about  two  and  a  half  tons  or  3,000 
pounds;  of  the  mixed  material  of  the  Culebra  Cut,  about  3,600 
pounds,  or  approximately  a  two-horse  cart-load.  The  steam 
shovels  or  dippers,  each  according  to  size,  excavate  from  one  and 
three-fourths  cubic  yards  to  five  cubic  yards.  A  five-cubic  yard 
dipper  when  full  lifts  about  seven  tons  of  earth,  or  nine  tons  of  rock. 

This  material  is  carried  away  on  trains  of  dump  and  flat  cars, 
averaging  from  twenty  to  thirty-five  cars  each.  The  average 
time  consumed  in  unloading  a  train  of  flat  cars  is  from  seven  to 
fifteen  minutes;  of  large  dump  cars,  fifteen  to  forty  minutes. 
The  record  day's  work  for  one  steam  shovel  was  4,823  cubic 
yards,  or  8,395  tons.  In  one  day  333  trains  have  been  loaded 
and  unloaded. 

The  most  interesting  machine  used  in  connection  with  unloading 
the  flat  cars  is  an  iron  spreader,  which  is  pulled  by  a  cable  the 
whole  length  of  the  train,  and  in  a  few  minutes  throws  all  the 
material  over  the  side  of  the  tracks  upon  the  slopes  of  the  dump 
piles. 

The  civil  administration  of  the  Canal  Zone,  under  Maurice  H. 
Thatcher,  is  an  interesting  feature  for  the  visitor  who  has  time 
to  investigate  its  workings.  Tom  M.  Cooke,  the  well-known 
Chief  of  Division  of  Posts,  Customs,  and  Revenues,  has  devel- 
oped an  administration  under  these  heads  which  he  holds  is  the 
best  in  the  world,  and  if  one  investigates  them  under  his  direction 
he  is  convinced  of  the  truth  of  his  claim. 

75 


WEST  CHAMBER,  PEDRO  MIGUEL  LOCK,  SHOWING  CONSTRUCTION  OF  GATES 

The  school  system,  in  charge  of  F.  A.  Gause,  Superintendent, 
will  compare  favorably  with  the  best  public-school  system  of  any 
State  of  the  United  States. 

The  police  system,  under  Capt.  C.  W.  Barber;  the  fire  depart- 
ment, under  Chief  C.  E.  Weidman;  and  the  public  works,  under 
Supt.  M.  E.  Gilmore,  are  conducted  with  the  highest  degree  of 
efficiency. 

The  justice  administered  in  the  Canal  Zone  is  about  as  near 
perfect  as  it  can  be.  Although  at  the  present  time  there  is  no 
jury  trial,  every  inhabitant  of  the  Canal  Zone  feels  that  he  is 
living  under  a  just  and  effective  system  of  law  and  order.  Chief 
justice  H.  A.  Gudger  has  had  a  long  experience  on  the  Isthmus, 
having  been  United  States  Consul  to  Panama  before  he  was 
appointed  to  the  judiciary. 

While  in  a  book  of  this  kind  it  has  been  possible  only  to  touch 
most  briefly  upon  many  features  of  the  work  on  the  canal  and  the 
administration  of  the  Canal  Zone,  it  can  be  readily  seen  from  the 
facts  briefly  outlined  here  that  the  Canal  Zone,  the  engineering 
construction,  its  civil  government,  its  sanitation,  etc.,  present  a 


76 


unique  example  and  one  of  the  most  remarkable  illustrations  of 
high  efficiency  to  be  found  in  the  wide  world.  Long  live  Col. 
Goethals  and  his  assistants! 


THE  WORK  OF  SANITATION 
The  perfect  sanitation  of  the  Canal  Zone  is  one  of  its  wonderful 
features.  Yellow  fever  has  been  absolutely  exterminated,  and 
malaria  and  other  tropical  fevers  reduced  to  a  minimum.  Per- 
fect sewerage  and  water  systems  have  been  established  in  Panama 
and  Colon  and  at  other  points.  Swampy  districts  have  been 
drained  as  far  as  possible,  and  other  places  treated  with  petroleum 
to  prevent  the  growth  and  spread  of  mosquitoes.  The  hospitals 
are  up-to-date  in  every  respect.  All  hotels  and  houses  of  em- 
ployes and  hospital  buildings  are  enclosed  with  wire  netting  to 
keep  out  stray  mosquitoes.  The  one  disease  which  causes  the 
greatest  number  of  deaths,  but  is  largely  confined  to  the  Negro 
population,  is,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  pneumonia;  but  the  cases 
of  this  are  being  constantly  reduced.  A  force  of  1,400  men  is 
employed  in  the  sanitary  staff,  of  whom  about  750  are  in  the  two 
terminal  hospitals  at  Ancon  and  Colon. 

The  present  health  conditions  on  the  Isthmus  compare  favor- 
ably with  those  of  the  most  healthful  cities  and  districts  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  death  rate  is  lower  than  in  the  average 
American  city.  What  has 
been  accomplished  can 
best  be  appreciated  by  con- 
ditions and  incidents  which 
the  author  remembers  as 
existing  and  taking  place 
when  he  first  went  to  the 
Isthmus,  in  1904,  as  United 
States  Minister.  Then  the 
whole  line  of  the  Canal 
Zone  was  overgrown  with 
heavy  jungle,  up  through 
which  towered  the  old 
French   machinery  like 

,  ,       ,  r     1  INSPECTION  MOTOR   CAR 

black    specters    of   the    past.        ^^^^^   ^^   ,ight~Col.  Hodges,  congressman  FairchOd, 

In       neither       Colon       nor  Mrs.  Fairchild,  and  Jolm  Barrett 


n 


STREET    IN    ANCON    HOSPITAL    GROUNDS 

Panama  were  there  any  waterworks  or  sewerage  systems.  The 
mosquitoes  were  everywhere  a  pest.  Nearly  everybody  was 
afflicted  with  malaria,  while  yellow  fever  was  beginning  to 
kill  off  the  flower  of  the  young  men  who  went  down  to  the 
Isthmus  in  those  pioneer  days.  In  short,  it  may  be  said  that 
discouragement  and  death  were  the  dominant  features  of 
the  situation.  To  make  this  more  realistic,  I  can  relate  an 
experience  of  my  own.  One  Saturday  night  I  had  ten  young 
men  who  held  responsible  positions  on  the  canal  as  my  guests  at 
dinner  in  the  Legation.  On  the  following  Saturday  we  buried 
under  the  wet  clay  four  of  these  splendid  fellows  —  dead  by  the 
yellow  fever. 

For  nearly  two  years,  beginning  early  in  1904,  Col.  Gorgas 
and  his  staff  valiantly  battled  against  overwhelming  odds  to  kill 
off  the  yellow  fever  mosquito  and  stop  the  dreaded  disease  which 
was  decimating  the  ranks  of  the  Americans  and  discouraging 
those  who  escaped  its  clutches.  By  instituting  a  strict  quaran- 
tine against  all  vessels  coming  from  yellow-fever  infected  ports, 
by  doing  away  with  all  stagnant  water,  by  fumigating  houses 
wherever  an  occupant  had  been  afflicted  with  yellow  fever,  and  by 

78 


following  other  comprehensive  sanitary  measures,  he  finally  won 
out,  and  now  the  mention  of  yellow  fever  suggests  only  unhappy 
memories  of  the  past. 

A  word  should  be  said  here  about  the  trained  nurses  and  other 
women  who  have  left  good  positions  or  good  homes  in  the  United 
States  to  make  up  the  hospital  staff  or  perform  other  duties  in 
the  Canal  Zone.  Most  all  of  the  praise  for  remarkable  work  done 
from  the  early  days  of  pioneer  sanitation  and  construction  to  the 
present  has  been  given  to  the  men  with  too  little  thought  of  the 
nurses  in  the  hospitals,  the  female  teachers  in  the  schools,  and  the 
wives,  daughters,  and  sisters  who  have  accompanied  and  encour- 
aged the  husbands,  fathers,  and  brothers.  From  early  1904,  when 
Miss  Hibbard,  as  their  chief,  came  down  with  the  first  forces 
of  nurses  and  inaugurated  their  work  with  notable  unselfishness 
and  administrative  skill,  until  the  present,  the  women  of  the 
canal  staff  have  done  their  part  with  a  courage,  devotion,  skill, 
and  patriotism  deserving  of  the  highest  praise.  In  the  trying 
days  of  yellow  fever  not  a  single  nurse  showed  the  white  feather 
and  asked  to  be  allowed  to  return  to  the  United  States,  and 
many  a  splendid  young  engineer,  surveyor,  clerk,  or  other  em- 
ploye owed  his  life  to  the  skillful  nursing  and  careful  attention 
received  from  these  untiring  women.  No  wonder  that  happy 
marriages  have  often  resulted  from  these  experiences. 


HOSPITAL  AND   SANITARIUM   AT   TABOGA  ISLAND,  PACIFIC   SIDE 

79 


LOOKING   SOUTH,  EAST   CHAMBER,  UPPER   LOCK   AT   MIRAFLORES 

In  this  connection,  however,  there  should  not  be  overlooked  the 
force  of  quarantine  officers,  hospital  doctors,  and  male  attendants. 
Well  and  faithfully  have  they  done  and  are  doing  their  exacting 
duties.  When  the  roll  of  honor  is  finally  made  up  for  valiant 
and  faithful  service  from  1904  to  19 15  a  large  number  of  the 
names  must  include  men  and  women  who  began,  built  up,  con- 
tinued, and  raised  to  a  high  standard,  under  the  example  and 
leadership  of  Col.  W.  C.  Gorgas,  the  health  hospital,  and  quaran- 
tine service  and  conditions  of  the  Canal  Zone. 

Prominent  among  the  present  and  veteran  hard-working 
sanitary  staff",  aside  from  Col.  Gorgas  and  Col.  Phillips,  are  Major 
Robert  E.  Noble,  General  Inspector;  Lieut-Col.  Charles  F.  Mason, 
Superintendent  Ancon  Hospital;  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Bell,  Superintend- 
ent Colon  Hospital;  Dr.  J.  C.  Perry,  Chief  Quarantine  Officer;  Dr. 
Claude C.Pierce,Quarantine Officer, Colon;  Dr. Fleetwood  Gruver, 
Quarantine  Officer,  Panama;  Joseph  A.  LePrince,  Chief  Sanitary 
Inspector,  Ancon;  and  Dr.  M.  E.  Connor,  Health  Ofl&cer,  Colon. 


WHAT  THE  CANAL  MEANS 

What  does  the  Panama  Canal  mean  ?  What  does  it  mean  to 
the  United  States,  to  Latin  America,  to  Europe,  to  Asia,  to 
AustraHa,  and  to  all  of  the  world  ? 

These  are  questions  which  every  man  interested  in  the  progress 
of  the  world  cannot  fail  to  turn  over  constantly  in  his  mind. 

No  other  great  engineering  undertaking  in  the  history  of  the 
human  race,  not  even  the  construction  of  the  Suez  Canal,  the 
building  of  the  transcontinental  railways  of  North  America,  the 
construction  of  the  great  wall  of  China,  has  had  any  such  effect  on 
the  power,  prestige,  commerce,  and  opportunity  of  one  or  of  a 
group  of  nations  as  will  have  the  Panama  Canal. 

For  the  United  States  and  its  twenty  sister  American  Republics 
the  formal  opening  of  the  canal  will  be  the  solemn  inauguration 
of  a  great  new  Pan  American  era  of  commerce,  friendship,  and 
peace.  In  separating  North  from  South  America  with  a  water 
channel  it  will  draw  them  closer  together  in  ties  of  better 
acquaintance  and  larger  trade. 

While  it  will  bring  a  quickening  influence  to  every  State  and 
part  of  the  United  States,  its  most  immediate  benefits  will  be 
first  felt  upon  the  Atlantic,  Gulf,  and  Pacific  seaboards.  Gradu- 
ally the  interior,  especially  the  commercial,  industrial,  manu- 
facturing, and  exporting  sections,  and  later  the  agricultural  dis- 
tricts, will  gain  both  direct  and  indirect  advantages,  until  the 
whole  land  realizes  that  a  new  world  commercial  route  is  in  opera- 
tion. Too  great  changes  or  effects,  however,  must  not  be  expected 
to  come  all  at  once.  The  real  and  lasting  benefits  to  the  trade 
and  commerce  of  the  United  States  will  come  only  through  the 
process  of  years  and  the  adaptation  of  the  business  interests,  not 
only  of  the  United  States  but  of  foreign  countries,  to  the  new  con- 
ditions of  the  canal.  There  is  probability  that  much  disappoint- 
ment will  be  experienced  in  many  seaports  of  the  United  States 
that  their  docks  and  wharves  are  not  immediately  crowded  with 
shipping  after  the  canal  is  opened.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  water  routes,  though  freer  and  less  restricted  than  rail  routes, 
require  fleets  of  mercantile  vessels,  much  capital,  and  large 
actual  exchange  of  commodities  to  develop  them  on  a  big  scale. 

Just  as  a  new  railroad  built  through  a  sparsely  settled  country 
between  two  cities  does  not  begin  to  do  the  business  at  first  which 


San  Francisco  >j    g  ,j 


NOR 


!TH    AMftlUC^       Li,„po..fr^'EUROPE 

^  .■/_J  o    L, 

UK'  I  I  l.n    .>,  >ew  York      /•"^Z  I      "^ j;  .         "'^'^ 

'     (      AFRICA. 
\       / 
7    \  /■ 
panani'*  v    /    ,^     b  0  I   T  H       ' 


^ 


lo^^'-y 


y 


Callao  - 


,  A  iM  I  R/PJt2  A° 

I  // 

Valparaiso  .d         ^  / 


.'/ 


' ^-^^  Strait  of  Magellan 

THE  PANAMA  CUT  OFF 


COMPAHATIVE  DISTANCES 


via  Magellan 
via  Panama 
Difference 


From  Liverpool 


via  Magellan 
via  Panama 
Difference 


San  Francisco 


13,135 

6,262 

7,873 


13,502 
7,836 

5,C66 


The  Orient 


13,666 

9,79S 

3,768 


13,933 
12,372 
1,661 


12,852 

10,392 

2,460 


13,425 
12,966 
459 


9,613 

3,3G3 

6,250 


9,980 

6,937 

4,043 


8,380 

4,633 

3,747 


8,747 

7,207 

1,540 


RKS,    BUFFALO, 


comes  to  it  later  on  through  the  construction  of  feeders,  the 
fining  up  of  the  country,  and  the  growth  of  its  terminal  points, 
so  the  Panama  Canal,  through  the  extension  of  old  steamship 
lines,  the  putting  on  of  new  lines  and  tramp  vessels,  and  the 
building  up  of  the  countries  reached  by  them,  will  increase  its 
commerce  and  its  shipping  with  eventual  individual  benefits  to 
each  port  within  the  limit  of  its  influence. 

Probably  the  greatest  good  to  the  United  States  from  the 
canal  will  result  from  the  cheap,  short,  and  quick  route  of  water 
communication  between  its  Atlantic,  Gulf,  and  Pacific  seaboards. 
The  exchange  through  the  canal  of  trade  and  commodities  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  and  ports  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  Pacific  States  and  ports  on  the  other,  should  grow  rapidly 
in  quantity,  volume,  and  value.  This  development  should  not 
and  probably  will  not  injure  permanently  the  business  of  the 
transcontinental  railways.  On  the  contrary,  it  will  so  increase 
the  prosperity,  population,  and  business  of  the  coast  and  adjacent 
interior  States  that  it  will  develop  the  local  trade  of  the  railways 


82 


and  that  class  of  through  business  which  will  not  be  handled  by 
slow-going  vessels. 

Some  simple  contrasts  in  distances  between  the  Panama  Canal 
and  the  Straits  of  Magellan  will  show  at  a  glance  what  the  Panama 
Canal  means  in  the  relations  of  the  Atlantic,  Gulf,  and  Pacific 
seaboards  of  the  United  States.  By  Magellan,  the  distance  from 
New  York  to  San  Francisco  is  13,135  miles;  by  Panama,  5,262 
miles,  a  saving  of  7,873  miles,  or  more  than  twice  the  distance 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  From  New  Orleans  to  San  Francisco, 
by  way  of  Magellan,  is  13,551  miles;  by  way  of  Panama,  4,683 
miles,  a  saving  of  8,868  miles,  or  practically  a  month's  steaming 
of  vessels  averaging  12  knots  an  hour.  Such  figures  need  no 
further  argument  than  themselves  to  illustrate  the  real  significance 
and  meaning  of  the  canal. 

While  the  shortening  of  the  distance  between  the  domestic 
ports  of  the  United  States  is,  perhaps,  the  most  remarkable  and 
important  fact,  the  saving  effected  between  the  ports  of  the 
United  States  and  others  beyond  its  shores  upon  the  Pacific 
is  almost  equally  significant  and  impressive.  A  steamship 
bound  from  New  York  to  Honolulu,  using  the  Panama  Canal 
in  preference  to  the  Magellan 
route,  will  save  6,610  miles; 
from  New  York  to  Wellington, 
New  Zealand,  2,493  miles;  to 
Melbourne,  Australia,  2,770 
miles ;  and  to  Yokahama,  Japan, 
3,768  miles.  All  these  distances 
give  also  a  large  advantage  to 
the  Panama  Canal  over  the 
Suez  Canal  route,  but  there  is 
practically  no  choice  in  actual 
distance  between  the  Panama 
and  Suez  routes  in  the  steaming 
distance  from  New  York  to 
Hong  Kong,  China,  and  Manila, 
the  capital  of  the  Philippines. 
The  South  American  oppor- 
tunity is  discussed  m  the  follow-  j^^^and  lighthouse  on  line 
ing  chapter.  of  canal 


83 


COMPARATIVE  DISTANCES  (IN  NAUTICAL  MILES)  IN  THE 
WORLD'S  SEA  TRAFFIC  AND  DIFFERENCE  IN  DISTANCES 
VIA  PANAMA  CANAL  AND  OTHER   PRINCIPAL  ROUTES 

From 


To 

via 

New 
York 

New 
Orleans 

Liver- 
pool 

Ham- 
burg 

Suez 

Panama 

Seattle 
Distance 

Magellan 
Panama 
saved 

13,953 
6,080 
7,873 

14,369 
5,501 
8,868 

14,320 
8,654 
5,666 

14,701 
9,173 
5,528 

15,397 
10,447 
4,950 

4,063 

San  Francisco 
Distance 

Magellan 
Panama 
saved 

13,135 
5,262 
7,873 

13,551 
4,683 
8,868 

13,502 
7,836 
5,666 

13,883 
8,355 
5,528 

14,579 
9,629 
4,950 

3,245 

Honolulu 
Distance 

Magellan 
Panama 
saved 

13,312 
6,702 
6,610 

13,728 
6,123 
7,605 

13,679 
9,276 
4,403 

14,060 
9,795 
4,265 

14,756 
11,069 
3,687 

4,685 

Guayaquil 
Distance 

Magellan 
Panama 
saved 

10,215 
2,810 
7,405 

10,631 
2,231 
8,400 

10,582 
5,384 
5,198 

10,963 
5,903 
5,060 

11,659 
9,192 
2,467 

793 

Callao 
Distance 

Magellan 
Panama 
saved 

9,613 
3,363 
6,250 

10,029 
2,784 
7,245 

9,980 
5,937 
4,043 

10,361 
6,456 
3,905 

11,057 
7,730 
3,327 

1,346 

Valparaiso 
Distance 

Magellan 
Panama 
saved 

8,380 
4,633 
3,747 

8,796 
4,054 
4,742 

8,747 
7,207 
1,540 

9,128 
7,726 
1,402 

9,824 

9,000 

824 

2,616 

Wellington 
Distance 

Magellan 

Suez 
Panama 
saved 

11,344 

8,857 
2,493 

11,760 

8,272 
3,488 

12,989 
11,425 
1,564 

13,353 

11,944 
1,409 

9,694 

9,205 
489 

6,834 

Melbourne 
Distance 

Cape  Good  Hope 
Suez 
Panama 
saved 

13,162 

10,392 
2,770 

14,095 

9,813 
4,282 

11,654 
12,966 
1,312 

11,845 

13,452 
1,607 

8,186 

10,713 
2,527 

8,342 

Manila 
Distance 

Suez 
Panama 
saved 

11,589 

11,548 

41 

12,943 
10,969 
1,974 

9,701 
14,122 
4,421 

9,892 
14,608 
4,716 

6,233 
11,869 
5,636 

9,370 

Hongkong 
Distance 

Suez; 
Panama 
saved 

11,673 

11,691 

18 

13,031 

11,112 

1,919 

9,785 
13,957 
4,172 

9,976 
14,443 
4,467 

6,317 
11,704 
5,387 

9,173 

Yokohama 
Distance 

Suez 

Panama 
saved 

13,566 
9,798 
3,768 

14,924 
9,219 
5,705 

11,678 

12,372 

694 

11,869 

13,858 

1,989 

8,210 
11,119 
2,909 

7,660 

Panama 

2,017 

1,438 

4,591 

5,110 

6,387 

85 


THE  GREAT  LATIN  AMERICAN  PACIFIC  COAST 
In  foreign  trade  and  general  opportunity  of  intercourse,  ac- 
quaintance, and  business,  the  Panama  Canal  means  much  good 
to  the  United  States  if  it  will  take  advantage  of  this  new 
route  to  vast  southern  fields  of  commerce,  capital,  and  industry  yet 
in  the  infancy  of  their  development.  I  refer  particularly  to  that 
resourceful,  remarkable,  and  even  fascinating  Pacific  coast  line 
of  Latin  America  which  reaches  by  the  wanderings  of  its  seaboard 
for  nearly  8,000  miles  from  the  California-Mexican  line  south- 
west to  Panama  and  then  directly  south  to  Cape  Horn.  These 
are  8,000  miles  of  a  wonderland  of  potentialities.  Such  a  descrip- 
tion is  no  exaggeration  if  based  on  actual  facts  and  the  knowl- 
edge of  persons  who  look  beyond  mere  present  conditions,  and 
who,  remembering  the  history  of  the  development  of  other  parts 
of  the  world,  picture  ahead  perfectly  reasonable  possibilities. 

I  indulge  in  no  foolish  or  ill-advised  prophecy  when  I  predict 
that  the  twelve  Latin  American  countries  or  their  western  shores 
bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  will  experience  in  the  decade 
following  the  opening  of  the  canal  a  development  of  commerce, 
agriculture,  industry,  timber,  and  mineral  wealth,  railway  con- 
struction, harnessing  of  water-powers,  population,  cities,  and 
towns  which  will  astonish  the  world  and  rival  the  development 
of  the  Pacific  coast  and  mountain  States  of  the  United  States 
following  the  completion  of  the  transcontinental  railways.  It  is 
quite  logical  that  the  Panama  Canal  means  as  much  in  the  long  run 
to  the  Pacific  coast  of  Mexico,  Guatemala,  Salvador,  Honduras, 
Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica,  and  Panama  in  North  America,  and  to 
Colombia,  Ecuador,  Peru,  Bolivia,  and  Chile  in  South  America 
as  it  does  to  the  United  States,  either  in  part  or  in  whole.  In 
other  words,  these  countries  will  feel  the  quickening  influence  of 
the  canal  even  before  and  to  a  greater  extent  than  will  the  United 
States  because  they  will  secure  at  once  direct  access  by  a  short 
cut  to  the  great  buying  and  selling  markets,  of  the  United  States 
and  Europe. 

The  saving  of  the  Panama  over  the  Magellan  route  for  vessels 
running  not  only  from  New  York,  New  Orleans,  and  neighbor- 
ing ports  but  from  England  and  northern  Europe  to  the  principal 
ports  of  the  west  coast  of  South  America  is  one  of  the  best 
illustrations  of  the  value  and  meaning  of  the  canal.     The  first 

86 


northern  important  port  of  the  Pacific  coast  of  South  America 
is  Guayaquil  in  Ecuador.  A  steamship  bound  from  New  York 
to  Guayaquil  going  through  the  canal  will  be  obliged  to  steam 
only  2,810  miles,  instead  of  10,215  miles  via  Magellan,  a  saving 
of  7,405  miles,  or  between  twenty  and  thirty  days,  according  to  the 
power  of  the  vessel.  The  steamship  from  New  Orleans  making 
this  journey  would  save  8,400  miles;  from  Liverpool,  5,198 
miles;  and  from  Hamburg,  5,060  miles.  Callao,  the  principal 
port  of  Peru  and  the  next  important  port  south  of  Guayaquil,  via 
the  canal,  is  only  3,363  miles  from  New  York,  or  equal  to  about 
the  average  distance  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  from  New  York 
to  England.  By  the  Magellan  route  it  is  distant,  9,613  miles, 
so  that  the  steamer  going  from  New  York  to  Callao  via  the  canal 
saves  6,250  miles.  From  New  Orleans  the  distance  saved  is 
7,245  miles;  from  Liverpool,  4,443  miles;  and  from  Hamburg, 
3,905  miles. 

Valparaiso,  the  chief  port  of  Chile,  is  generally  considered  the 
principal  terminal  point  for  steamships  which  will  go  via  the 
canal  to  the  west  coast  of  South  America.  Through  its  harbor, 
not  only  is  the  large  trade  of  Chile  reached  but  to  some  extent 
that  of  the  great  Argentine  Republic,  whose  capital,  Buenos 
Aires,  is  connected  with  Valparaiso  by  rail.  By  the  canal,  Val- 
paraiso, which  according  to  our  old  ideas  seemed  far  away  from 
New  York,  is  only  distant  4,633  miles  via  the  Panama  Canal. 
Although  it  is  the  nearest  port  of  the  west  coast  to  the  Straits  of 
Magellan,  it  is  3,747  miles  nearer  New  York  via  Panama  than 
via  Magellan.  A  vessel  from  New  Orleans  to  Valparaiso  saves 
via  the  canal  4,742  miles;  from  Liverpool,  1,540  miles;  and 
from  Hamburg,  1,402  miles. 

There  are  two  facts  not  generally  appreciated  in  the  matter  of 
distances.  On  account  of  the  curvature  of  the  earth's  surface  a 
vessel  en  route  from  Liverpool  to  the  Panama  Canal  taking  the 
great  circle  route  can  by  only  one  extra  day's  steaming,  or  a 
detour  of  between  three  and  four  hundred  miles,  include  New 
York  City  as  a  port  of  call,  enabling  it  to  coal  there  or  get  addi- 
tional cargo.  Correspondingly,  a  vessel  en  route  via  Panama  to 
Yokahama,  or  vice  versa,  by  only  a  slight  detour  of  less  than 
two  days'  steaming  can  include  San  Diego,  Los  Angeles,  or  San 
Francisco  as  ports  of  call  for  both  cargo  and  coal. 

87 


The  critic  who  is  skeptical  about  the  future  of  western  Latin 
America  and  the  effect  upon  it  of  the  Panama  Canal  should 
consider,  for  example,  what  these  countries  are  doing  without  the 
canal  and  what  is  their  foreign  commerce  in  their  present  iso- 
lated relation  to  the  great  commercial  routes  of  the  world. 

Commerce  is  often  described  as  the  life-blood  of  nations.  If 
this  is  true,  these  twelve  too  little  known  and  appreciated  Latin 
American  countries  bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  are  certainly 
full  blooded  and  lusty.  Last  year  without  the  canal  they  con- 
ducted a  foreign  trade  valued  at  the  magnificent  total  of  ^740,- 
000,000.  This,  in  turn,  represents  an  increase  of  over  100% 
during  the  last  fifteen  years.  If  the  foreign  trade  of  these  coun- 
tries can  reach  this  volume  without  the  canal,  it  should  grow 
quickly  and  easily  to  $1,500,000,000  within  ten  years  after  the 
canal  is  opened.  In  this  present  commerce,  with  many  ad- 
vantages to  Europe  in  the  shipping  which  comes  through  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  the  share  of  the  United  States  is  $277,- 
000,000  or  37  %.  After  the  canal  is  completed  and  there  are 
new  short  distances  between  the  principal  ports  of  these  coun- 
tries and  those  of  the  United  States,  I  look  to  see  the  share  of 
the  United  States  grow  quickly  to  50  %  and  even  to  60  %  of 
their  total  commerce. 

This  situation,  however,  must  not  be  viewed  selfishly.  The 
United  States  should  want  to  see  all  of  its  Latin  American  sister 
republics  prosper  and  grow  just  as  fast  as  it  prospers  and  grows. 
It  should  strive  to  provide  a  market  for  their  exports  as  much 
as  it  expects  them  to  develop  a  market  for  its  exports.  The 
Panama  Canal,  therefore,  should  mean  vast  mutual  benefit  to 
all  the  American  nations  using  it. 

In  view  of  the  direct  bearing  on  the  meaning  of  the  Panama 
Canal  of  the  twelve  Latin  American  countries  bordering  on  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  let  us  note  some  further  interesting  facts  about 
them.  They  occupy  a  combined  area  of  2,500,000  square  miles, 
which  is  only  a  little  short  of  the  total  connected  area  of  the 
United  States.  They  have  a  present  population  of  37,000,000. 
Their  Pacific  seacoast  extends  approximately  8,000  miles. 

In  this  review  are  omitted  the  eight  other  important  Latin 
American  countries  —  Argentina,  Uruguay,  Paraguay,  Brazil, 
Venezuela,   Cuba,   the    Dominican   Republic,   and    Haiti.     They 

91 


PRESENT  DOCKS  AT  BALBOA,  THE  PACIFIC   ENTRANCE  TO  THE  CANAL 

have  no  Pacific  seaboard  but  still  each,  directly  or  indirectly, 
will  feel  to  a  greater  or  lesser  extent  the  quickening  influence  of 
the  Panama  Canal.  Including  these,  all  of  the  twenty  Latin 
American  countries  occupy  a  total  area  of  9,200,000  square  miles, 
or  three  times  that  of  the  United  States  proper,  and  they  have  a 
population  approximately  of  70,000,000.  The  foreign  com- 
merce last  year  of  these  twenty  countries  reached  the  magnifi- 
cent total  of  approximately  $2,500,000,000,  of  which  the  share 
of  the  United  States  was  about  30%.  This  United  States  trade 
with  all  Latin  America,  following  the  opening  of  the  Panama 
Canal,  should  rapidly  grow  to  50  %  of  the  total,  provided  we 
always  bear  in  mind  the  purchase  of  their  products  as  well  as 
the  selling  of  our  own. 

The  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal  will  mean  that  the  Pacific 
coast  of  Latin  America  will  want  in  increasing  quantities  our 
iron  and  steel  manufactures;  our  steam  and  electric  railway 
materials;  our  structural  iron  and  steel;  our  sewing  machines, 
typewriters,  and  cash  registers;  our  cotton  cloth;  our  wood 
and  lumber;  our  flour,  butter,  cheese,  and  lard;  our  agricultural 
implements;  boots  and  shoes;  jewelry;  furniture  and  hardware; 
drugs  and  medicines;  automobiles;  coal;  illuminating  and  crude 
oils;  news  print  paper;  binder  twine;  clothing;  books  and 
maps;  and  numerous  other  articles  demanded  by  a  developing 
country  and  population. 

The  Panama  Canal  means  that  we  will  have  a  new  route  to 


92 


bring  back  from  them  in  increasing  quantities  sugar,  coffee, 
rubber,  bananas,  cocoanuts,  cacao  or  chocolate,  nitrate  of  soda, 
hides  and  skins,  chinchilla,  henequen,  sisal,  wool,  Panama  hats, 
ivory  nuts  used  for  buttons,  tin,  copper,  quinine,  tobacco  leaf, 
honey,  and  jerked  beef. 

To  fully  understand  the  meaning  of  the  Panama  Canal  in  the 
relations  of  the  United  States  to  the  countries  of  the  west  coast 
of  South  America,  let  us  make  some  few  comparisons  as  to  area. 
The  great  State  of  Bolivia,  which  expects  splendid  results  from 
the  Panama  Canal,  could  hold  Germany,  France,  Italy,  and 
Spain  combined,  or  the  States  of  California,  Nevada,  Utah, 
Idaho,  Arizona,  Oregon,  and  Washington.  Into  Chile,  which 
has  a  coast  line  of  2,500  miles  on  the  Pacific  directly  south  from 
Panama,  could  be  placed  the  State  of  Washington  four  times 
over  or  California  and  Montana  combined.  Peru,  which  is 
eagerly  awaiting  the  opening  of  the  canal,  is  equal  to  the  com- 
bined areas  of  France,  Germany,  and  Austria,  or  those  of  Texas, 
Nevada,  Utah,  Arizona,  and  New  Mexico.  Into  Ecuador  could 
be  put  the  larger  part  of  Italy,  or  the  greater  portion  of  Missouri 
and  Arkansas.  Colombia,  with  a  resourceful  coast  line  of  400 
miles  directly  south  from  Panama,  has  an  area  twice  that  of  the 
German  Empire.  Into  it  could  be  placed  Texas,  Kansas,  Ar- 
kansas, and  Louisiana. 

Little  Panama,  chiefly  known  as  the  home  of  the  canal,  could 
take  care  of  both  West  Virginia  and  New  Jersey.  Mexico  could 
hold  in  its  borders  Germany,  France,  and  the  British  Islands,  or 
the  combined  area  of  Texas,  California,  Nevada,  New  Mexico, 
and  Arizona.  Guatemala  is  equal  to  Kentucky  and  New  Jersey; 
Honduras,  to  Pennsylvania  and  Rhode  Island;  Nicaragua,  to 
Vermont,  Maryland,  New  Hampshire,  New  Jersey,  and  Mas- 
sachusetts; and  Costa  Rica,  to  Maryland,  Massachusetts,  and 
Delaware. 

With  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal,  there  will  be  an 
influx  to  these  countries  of  capital  and  population  which,  acting 
with  the  more  ambitious  and  progressive  element  of  population 
already  there,  must  bring  about  a  new  era  of  greater  prosperity 
and  a  larger  trade  which  will  benefit  not  only  them  but  all  the 
countries  doing  business  with  them. 

Having     myself,    as    United    States    Minister    to    three    Latin 

93 


PRINCIPAL   BUSINESS  STREET,  GUAYAQUIL,  ECUADOR 

American  capitals,  and  as  executive  officer  of  the  Pan-American 
Union,  carefully  studied  for  many  years  the  varied  resources 
and  potentialities  of  South  America,  and  having  made,  in  1906, 
w^hen  I  was  United  States  Minister  to  Colombia,  a  long  over- 
land journey  through  the  Andean  Mountains,  plateaus,  and 
river  valleys  of  Colombia  and  Ecuador,  on  the  western  coast  of 
Latin  America,  I  sincerely  believe  that  the  Panama  Canal  will 
initiate  in  all  those  countries  a  general  movement  which  will 
have  a  most  important  bearing  upon  the  commerce  and  civiliza- 
tion of  all  the  world. 

Considering  the  future  of  the  Pacific  coast  of  Latin  America, 
there  comes  up  the  question  of  the  character  of  the  peoples  con- 
trolling the  policies  and  destinies  of  the  countries  bordering  on  it. 
From  personal  knowledge  of  them  I  must  frankly  state  that  I 
have  great  admiration  for  the  quality  of  men  who  are  in  the 
forefront  of  the  statesmanship  of  these  governments.  The  high- 
class  Chileans,  Bolivians,  Peruvians,  Ecuadoreans,  Colombians, 
Panamanians,  Central  Americans,  and  Mexicans  are  worthy  of 
the  fullest  confidence  and  cooperation  of  the  corresponding  men 
of  the  United  States.  During,  for  example,  my  experience  as 
United  States  Minister  to  Colombia,  I  met  not  only  in  Bogota, 
its  capital,  but  in  the  principal  towns  on  the  Pacific  side  of  that 


94 


country  a  remarkably  large  number  of  scholarly,  able  men,  who 
are  earnestly  desirous  of  developing  in  Colombia  ideal  progress 
and  stability  of  government.  And  certainly  if  there  is  any 
country  in  all  Latin  America  entitled  to  get  benefits  from  the 
canal  it  is  Colombia.  While  my  official  position  prevents  me 
from  discussing  in  any  way  the  differences  between  Colombia 
and  the  United  States  over  the  Panama  question,  I  do  most 
sincerely  hope  that  that  issue  may  be  soon  and  amicably  settled 
in  a  way  acceptable  to  this  sister  republic  of  South  America. 

In  considering  the  meaning  of  the  canal,  we  must  also  go 
beyond  our  own  Pacific  coast  and  that  of  Latin  America  and 
consider  the  whole  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  countries  bordering 
upon  it.  According  to  the  latest  available  figures,  the  annual 
ocean-carried  foreign  trade  of  Australia  amounted  approxi- 
mately to  ^672,000,000;  of  China,  ^568,000,000;  of  Japan, 
$461,000,000;  of  New  Zealand,  $196,000,000;  of  British  Colum- 
bia, $33,000,000;  of  the  Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States, 
$154,000,000;  of  the  Philippines,  $76,000,000;  of  Hawaii, 
$70,000,000;  of  Alaska,  $31,000,000.  This  makes  a  grand 
total  of  approximately  $2,250,000,000.  If  we  add  to  that  the 
$750,000,000  of  the  twelve  Latin  American  countries  bordering 
on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  we  have  a  Pan  Pacific  foreign  sea-going 
trade  of  approximately  $3,000,000,000. 

Think  what  it  means,  that  the  day  the  canal  is  opened  the  whole 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  seaboard  of  the  United  States  and  the  great 
manufacturing  and  industrial  central  and  eastern  sections  of  the 
country  will  have,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  modern  com- 
merce, direct  access  to  this  vast  volume  of  international  business. 

When  we  add  to  this  fact,  moreover,  the  consideration  that  the 
ports  of  Northern  and  Eastern  Europe  and  Great  Britain  will, 
through  the  canal,  get  more  direct  access  than  they  have  by  the 
Suez  Canal  to  a  considerable  portion  of  this  trade  and  that,  in 
turn,  Austraha,  the  Philippines,  China,  Japan,  Hawaii,  Alaska, 
British  Columbia,  and  the  Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States  will 
have  a  new  and  competitive  route  to  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coast 
of  the  United  States,  to  the  Caribbean  countries,  to  the  Atlantic 
coast  of  South  America,  and  to  the  Eastern  and  Northern  coast 
of  Europe,  we  will  realize  that  the  Panama  Canal  means,  indeed, 
the  making  anew  of  the  commercial  map  of  the  world. 

95 


GET  READY  FOR  THE  PANAMA  CANAL 

This  panorama  or  picture,  not  overdrawn,  of  the  world's  com- 
merce as  affected  by  the  Panama  Canal,  should  inspire  not  only 
the  Government  and  people  of  the  United  States  but  of  all 
countries  directly  concerned  to  study  minutely  the  meaning  of 
the  Panama  Canal.  As  there  is  more  danger,  however,  that  the 
people  of  the  United  States,  because  of  numerous  other  attrac- 
tions and  activities,  will  neglect,  in  comparison  with  competing 
countries,  the  study  and  development  of  the  Pan  American  and 
the  Pan  Pacific  field  through  the  canal,  it  is  highly  necessary 
that  there  should  be  inaugurated  at  once  throughout  the  United 
States  what  might  be  termed  a  " Paf7a?na  Canal  Movement.^' 

Chambers  of  commerce  and  commercial  clubs,  civic,  social, 
and  literary  organizations,  should  undertake  without  delay  a  study 
of  the  canal  and  what  it  means  to  the  prestige,  the  influence,  and 
the  commerce  of  the  United  States.  Universities,  colleges,  pre- 
paratory, high,  and  commercial  schools  should  make  the  Panama 
Canal  a  special  line  of  study  and  research.  They  should  study 
the  history,  the  development,  the  resources,  the  potentialities,  the 
peoples,  the  languages,  of  Latin  America  and  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
in  order  that  their  students,  as  coming  citizens  of  this  country  and 
of  the  world,  can  act  and  vote  more  intelligently  and  join  in 
making  the  canal  bring  the  greatest  benefits  possible  to  trade  and 
society. 

"A  Get  Ready  for  the  Canal  Movement,"  as  it  might  also  be 
termed,  should  be  inaugurated  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco, 
and  from  Minneapolis  to  New  Orleans.  This  phrase  should  be 
the  slogan  of  all  kinds  of  commercial,  social,  and  educational 
organizations.  Unless  the  people  of  the  United  States  pursue 
this  method  and  undertake  these  activities  in  relation  to  the 
Panama  Canal,  they  will  be  disappointed  in  the  results  it  will 
bring  and  be  distanced  in  the  competition  for  its  benefits  by  the 
peoples  and  commerce  of  other  countries. 

Throughout  all  Latin  America,  throughout  Europe,  and 
throughout  Australia  and  Asia,  there  is  deep  practical  interest  in 
the  possibilities  of  the  Panama  Canal,  and  it  is  the  theme  of  con- 
stant discussion  in  foreign  commercial,  political,  and  economic 
circles.  Vast  amounts  of  money  are  being  expended  in  improv- 
ing European,  South  American,  and  Asiatic  harbors  and  steam- 

96 


ship  facilities  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  canal  from  the 
very  day  it  is  opened.  The  trade  agents  of  European  manu- 
facturers, exporters,  and  importers  are  journeying  through  the 
countries  and  sections  reached  by  the  Panama  Canal  for  the 
purpose  of  finding  new  export  and  import  markets. 

If  the  United  States  is  willing  to  spend  approximately  $400,- 
000,000  in  building  the  canal,  it  ought  to  spend  a  corresponding 
amount  of  energy,  effort,  and  even  money  in  getting  ready  for 
the  canal.  It  should  be  improving  its  port  facilities,  deepening 
its  harbors  and  interior  waterways,  and  constructing  vessels  so 
that  it  may  start  even,  as  it  were,  with  other  countries  when  the 
canal  is  opened. 

There  is  danger  that  we  will  be  so  satisfied  with  our  pride  in 
accomplishing  such  a  great  engineering  feat,  with  our  praise  of 
the  work  done,  and  with  our  plans  for  celebrating  the  opening 
of  the  Panama  Canal,  that  we  will  overlook  or  forget  the  practical 
steps  necessary  to  get  actually  ready  for  the  canal  and  to  utilize 
it  to  fullest  advantage  when  it  is  completed.  We  should  do 
everything  to  make  this  opening  a  gala  event  in  the  history  of  the 
world  and  to  insure  a  brilliant  success  for  the  Panama-Pacific 
International  Exposition  of  1915  at  San  Francisco,  and  the 
Panama-California  Exposition  at  San  Diego.  But  that  cele- 
bration and  those  exhibitions  will  be  like  the  tinkling  of  cymbals 
and  the  beating  of  drums  if  we  do  not  follow  up  our  prepa- 
rations for  them  with  even  greater  preparations  for  competition 
in  trade  and  influence  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  Director 
General  of  the  Pan  American  Union  is  urging  all  the  Latin 
American  countries  to  participate  in  the  San  Francisco  and  San 


HARBOR   SCENE,  CALLAO,  PERU 

97 


PLAZA  IN   NEW   SECTION,  LIMA,  PERU 


Diego  Expositions,  and  it  is  to  their  credit  that  most  of  them  are 
planning  to  make  elaborate  exhibits. 

In  this  movement  nothing  can  help  us  more  than  an  intimate 
study  of  all  the  Latin  American  countries,  an  expressed  appre- 
ciation of  their  progress  and  possibilities,  and  practical  cooper- 
ation with  them  to  bring  good  to  them  as  well  as  to  ourselves. 
An  unselfish  spirit  to  make  the  canal  and  exposition  benefit 
them  as  well  as  the  United  States,  and  an  avoidance  of 
policies,  preachings,  and  methods  of  relationship  which  will 
arouse  their  suspicions  or  check  their  desire  for  better  acquaint- 
ance and  larger  exchange  of  trade  should  characterize  our 
attitude. 

For  many  years  the  Pan  American  Union,  as  an  official  inter- 
national organization,  maintained  at  Washington  by  all  the 
twenty-one  American  Republics,  including  the  United  States,  for 
the  advancement  of  commerce  comity,  acquaintance,  friendship, 
intercourse,  and  business  among  them  has  been  doing  every- 
thing in  its  power  through  its  publications,  special  reports,  and 
its  large  correspondence,  to  make  Latin  America  better  known, 
not  only  throughout  the  United  States  but  throughout  all  the 
world,  and,  in  turn,  to  make  the  United  States  better  known  and 
understood  in  Latin  America.  But  this  effort  must  be  supple- 
mented by  a  wide-spread  Pan  American  movement  which  will 
reach  from  the  controlling  statesmen  and  leading  newspapers  of 
the  country  down  through  commercial  organizations,  clubs,  and 
schools  to  the  masses  of  people  and  rising  generation.  Unless 
this  is  done  the  great  Pan  American  era  which  the  opening  of 
the  Panama  Canal  should  solemnly  inaugurate  will  be  too  long 
delayed  in  its  full  fruition. 

98 


CONQUEST  OF  THE  TROPICS 

The  Panama  Canal  means  many  great  things  but  possibly 
none  greater  than  the  effect  of  its  example  in  showing  to  the 
world  how  tropical  countries  can  be  made  healthful.  The  suc- 
cessful completion  of  the  canal  is  a  conquest  of  the  tropics.  It 
demonstrates  that  where  even  most  uncompromising  conditions 
of  climate  and  sanitation  have  prevailed  changes  can  be  rapidly 
brought  about  that  will  make  them  the  home  of  contented  and 
prosperous  populations. 

It  is  difficult  to  place  any  limit  upon  the  good  that  will  come 
to  the  whole  tropical  belt  of  the  world  from  the  example  of  Ameri- 
can sanitary  achievement  on  the  Isthmus.  The  largest  unde- 
veloped areas  of  the  Western  Hemisphere  are  now  in  the  heart 
of  the  tropics.  In  Brazil,  Peru,  the  Guianas,  Venezuela,  Colom- 
bia, sections  of  Central  America  and  the  countries  of  the  Carib- 
bean are  vast  unused  jungle  areas.  These  under  the  magic  touch 
which  has  been  applied  to  Panama  can  be  converted  into  great 
areas  of  production  and  population. 

Such  an  evolution  will  not  only  bring  immeasurable  wealth 
and  increased  population  to  these  countries  of  the  tropics  but 
have  a  most  direct  effect  upon  the  commerce  and  trade  of  all  the 
world  and  especially  of  the  United  States  with  them.  The  engi- 
neers and  the  capitalists  of  the  United  States  can  indulge  in  no 
more  combined  philanthropic  and  profitable  effort  than  that  of 
cooperating  with  the  governments  and  peoples  of  the  tropics  to 
make  these  jungle  districts  productive  and  profitable.  They  con- 
tain a  wealth  of  timber  and  minerals,  and  large  sections  possess  a 
fertility  of  soil  which  will  raise  the  products  that  are  necessary 
for  the  food  supply  of  the  world. 

Already  some  governments  of  tropical  lands  and  many  of  their 
representative  engineers  and  business  men  have  been  studying 
carefully  what  has  been  accomplished  on  the  Isthmus  in  order  to 
reproduce  on  a  large  scale  similar  methods  of  sanitation  in  their 
own  countries. 

Already,  moreover,  a  wonderful  change  has  come  over  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  low-lying  malarial  and  insect-infested 
coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Caribbean  Sea  as  a  result  of 
the  example  set  at  Panama.  Along  the  coast  of  Mexico,  Guate- 
mala, Honduras,  Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica,  Panama,  and  Colombia 

99 


HARBOR   SCENE,  VALPARAISO,  CHILE 

hundreds  of  thousands  of  jungle  acres,  which  are  only  slightly 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  have  been  developed  into  veritable 
banana  gardens  and  made  healthful  for  the  residents,  not  only 
native  but  from  the  north.  The  swamps  are  being  drained,  the 
dreaded  mosquitoes  killed  off,  yellow  fever  exterminated,  and 
malaria  subdued.  The  towns  and  villages  along  this  remarkable 
coast-line  which  formerly  were  characterized  as  pest  holes  and 
only  visited  at  the  risk  of  health  or  life  are  now  becoming  model 
sanitary  settlements. 

Cuba,  the  Dominican  Republic,  Haiti,  and  the  various  islands 
which  form  the  rim  of  the  Caribbean  are  all  being  benefited  to 
some  degree  by  this  new  era  of  sanitation,  and  they  are  fostering 
its  continuance  in  order  that  they  may  develop  a  greater  prosper- 
ity. Not  only  has  this  influence  been  felt  actively  and  practically 
on  the  Caribbean  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  but  along  the  entire 
8,000  miles  of  Latin  America's  big  Pacific  coast  line  from  northern 
Mexico  to  southern  Chile.  It  will  soon  be  responsible  for  the  elim- 
ination from  that  coast  not  only  of  yellow  fever  and  malaria  but 
of  the  plague  and  other  dangerous  contagious  diseases  which  are 
an  overwhelming  handicap  to  both  commerce  and  progress. 

The  Government  of  Ecuador  has  recently  requested  Col. 
Gorgas,  the  health  wizard  of  the  Isthmus,  to  go  to  Guayaquil  and 
show  them  how  they  can  kill  oflF  yellow  fever,  which  has,  hereto- 
fore, always  prevailed  at  that  port  and  kept  it  from  realizing  the 
growth  and  prosperity  which  by  its  location  it  deserves.  If  his 
work  there  is  successfully  executed,  and  the  policies  undertaken 


at  other  South  American  ports  are  continued,  it  will  not  be 
necessary  in  the  future,  as  now,  to  quarantine  at  Panama  vessels 
which  touch  Guayaquil  and  some  other  doubtful  ports  of  the 
Pacific.  Such  a  new  health  condition  will  have  a  most  beneficial 
effect  upon  the  trade  and  traffic  of  the  Panama  Canal. 

What  the  engineers  and  doctors  of  the  United  States  have 
accomplished  at  Panama  may  mean  an  entirely  new  future, 
vast  wealth,  and  great  population  for  that  northern  section  of 
Brazil  which  until  now  has  almost  seemed  destined  forever  to  be 
a  pathless  jungle  suited  only  to  the  growth  of  wild  rubber.  The 
results  accomplished  at  Panama  mean  that  the  greater  portion  of 
the  mighty  Amazon  Valley,  with  its  20,000  miles  of  navigable 
waterways,  now  containing  only  a  meager  population  and  a  few 
cities  and  towns  which  are  largely  rubber-trading  posts,  can  be, 
as  the  world's  increase  in  population  and  the  demands  for  new 
opportunities  for  mankind  press  upon  it,  converted  into  a  garden 
of  population  and  productiveness.  The  same  experience  can  be 
enjoyed  by  Venezuela  in  the  broad,  resourceful  valley  of  the 
Orinoco;  by  Colombia  in  its  rich  low-lying  areas  of  the  Magda- 
lena,  the  Cauca,  and  the  Atrato  rivers;  by  Ecuador,  Peru,  and 
Bolivia,  in  the  upper  waters  and  tributaries  of  the  Amazon  which 
drain  their  eastern  slopes  of  the  Andes. 


GOVERNMENT   BUILDING    IN    SUCRE,  USE    OF   THE    IRIXCIPAL   CITIES 

OF   BOLIVIA 


lOI 


CONGRESSIONAL   BUILDING,  SANTIAGO,  CHILE 

The  American  sanitary  achievement  at  Panama  will  eventually 
make  the  Caribbean  Sea  an  American  Mediterranean  with  a 
population  as  active  and  prosperous  as  that  which  surrounds  the 
real  Mediterranean.  The  Panama  sanitary  influence  will  also 
reach  Southern  China,  Siam,  Burma,  India,  and  the  great  tropical 
belt  of  Africa,  bringing  beneficial  results  to  humanity  and  civiliza- 
tion which  will  extend  down  through  countless  ages  of  the  future. 

What  a  wonderful  study  is  this  meaning  of  the  Panama  Canal — 
when  the  vast  extent  of  its  influence  is  considered.  It  is  probably 
true  that  the  sanitation  of  the  Isthmus,  permitting  the  great 
engineering  work  to  be  done,  will  prove  even  more  wide  reaching 
in  its  good  to  the  human  race  during  the  next  few  decades  than 
will  the  actual  possession  of  a  strategic  and  commercial  water- 
way uniting  the  two  seas  and  permitting  the  passage  from  ocean 
to  ocean  of  the  mercantile  and  naval  fleets  of  the  world. 


THE  CANAL  AND  THE  WORLD-WIDE  PEACE 
In  these  days  when  there  is  so  much  discussion  of  permanent 
peace  among  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  it  is  well  to  note  the 
possible  significance  of  the  canal  in  relation  to  this  world-wide 
peace  movement.  Closely  associated  with  this  thought,  although 
it  may  have  a  strange  sound  at  first,  is  the  military  or  naval  value 
of  the  canal.     Remembering,  however,  that  a  distinctly  military 


or  naval  advantage  of  one  country  or  group  of  countries  may  be 
a  powerful  influence  for  peace,  the  meaning  of  the  canal  in  this 
respect  is  easily  appreciated.  In  its  announced  policy  the  United 
States  is  constructing  the  canal  for  the  strategic  use  or  military 
protection  of  the  country  as  v^^ell  as  for  commercial  advantages. 
By  being  able  to  move  its  naval  fleets  and  squadrons  rapidly  from 
the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts  to  the  Pacific  coast,  or  vice  versa, 
the  United  States  gains  an  extraordinary  advantage  from  the 
canal,  which  must  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  possibilities  or 
probabilities  of  its  being  engaged  in  war  by  foreign  countries. 
This  meaning  of  the  canal  reducing  the  chances  of  war,  the 
necessary  size  of  the  United  States  navy,  and  the  consequent  cost 
of  maintaining  a  large  navy,  is  indeed,  a  vital  consideration;  but 
the  influence  of  the  canal  for  peace  along  other  than  military  or 
naval  lines  is  far  more  impressive. 

As  more  commerce  is  developed  between  nations,  as  more 
travel  goes  back  and  forth  between  the  peoples  of  diff^erent  coun- 
tries, as  more  intimate  acquaintance  grows  between  their  repre- 
sentative men,  as  they  become  more  dependent,  one  upon  the 
other,  in  trade,  friendship,  and  acquaintance,  so  much  the  less  is 
the  danger  of  war  between  them  or  of  the  development  of  difi^er- 
ences  which  might  lead  to  war.  The  canal  will  so  directly  develop 
the  trade  and  travel  between  the  commercial  and  political  centers 
of  the  United  States  and  Europe,  on  the  one  hand,  and  those  of 
Latin  America,  Asia,  and  Australia,  on  the  other  hand,  that  it 
cannot  fail  to  be  forever  a  mighty  and  tangible  argument  and 
influence  for  peace. 

Although  the  United  States  is  fortifying  the  canal  against  the 
possibilities  of  attack,  the  chances  that  these  fortifications  will 
be  forced  to  go  into  action  against  hostile  vessels  is,  indeed,  remote. 
After  the  canal  is  opened  the  world  will  soon  realize  that  it  is  an 
absolute  necessity  for  the  commerce  and  general  prosperity  of 
all  nations,  and  a  world-wide  public  sentiment  will  consider  it  an 
international  crime  if  any  efi^ort  is  made  to  destroy  it. 

That  great  apostle  and  philanthropic  promoter  of  world  peace, 
Andrew  Carnegie,  should  rejoice  that  Uncle  Sam,  following  his 
example,  as  it  were,  has  devoted  a  sum  almost  equal  to  his 
reputed  fortune  to  the  endowment  of  universal  peace  in  the 
practical  form  of  a  great  interoceanic  waterway. 

103 


PANAMA  IN  HISTORY 

There  is  a  real  romance  and  charm  about  the  history  of  Panama. 
Justice  cannot  be  done  to  it  in  this  brief  outhne,  but  some  principal 
facts  will  prove  interesting. 

From  the  days,  in  1502,  when  Columbus  investigated  every 
indentation  of  the  Caribbean  coast  of  Panama  in  search  of  a  way 
through  to  Cathay,  the  Isthmus  has  been  more  frequently  the 
center  of  world  interest  and  richer  in  historical  events  than  any 
section  of  the  two  continents  it  connects. 

Very  soon  after  its  discovery,  that  narrow  strip  which  separates 
the  two  great  ocean  highways  of  trade  became  the  strategic  point 
of  the  western  world  of  commerce  and  of  the  provisions  for  the 
defense  of  Spain's  monopoly.  For  three  centuries  it  was  the 
lock  that  guarded  her  vitally  important  treasure  houses  on  the 
western  hemisphere. 

It  was  across  this  Isthmus  that  Vasco  Nufiez  de  Balboa  forced 
his  way  in  1531  through  the  jungle  to  the  discovery  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  In  15 16,  three  years  later,  Pedro  Arias  de  Avila  (or 
Pedrarias,  or  Davila,  as  he  was  familiarly  known),  and  who  was 
the  Spanish  governor  of  the  colony  already  established  on  the 
Caribbean  side,  pushed  forward  his  conquest  of  the  country  to 
a  native  fishing  village  on  the  Pacific.  Here  he  learned  that 
"for  fishermen,  the  Indians  said  ' panama,'  "  and  from  that  word 
this  region,  which  had  been  known  as  Darien,  eventually  derived 
its  name. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  15 19,  Pedrarias  founded  the  old  city 
of  Panama  and  before  long  the  colony  assumed  an  importance 
second  to  none  in  Spain's  American  empire.  In  that  city  the 
colonial  government  (the  Real  Audiencia  de  Panama)  established 
by  decree  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  dated  February  26,  1538, 
was  given  jurisdiction  over  Nicaragua  to  the  north  and  all  the 
Spanish  provinces  to  the  south  as  far  as  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
including  the  Provinces  of  Cartegena,  Peru,  -Chile,  and  what  is 
now  Argentina.  Subsequently,  as  the  various  colonies  became 
more  thickly  populated,  this  vast  jurisdiction  was  reduced  from 
time  to  time  and  the  Audiencias  of  Guatemala,  Lima,  Santa  Fe 
de  Bogota,  Charcas  (now  Bolivia),  San  Francisco  de  Quito,  Chile, 
and  Buenos  Aires  were  successively  created.  At  last  the  Province 
of  Panama  was  restricted  to  its  present  area,  and,  prior  to  the 

104 


RUIN    OF   CATHEDRAL   TOWER   AT   OLD    PANAMA 
Destroyed  by  Morgan  in  1671 

securing   of  independence    by   the    Spanish    colonies    about    lOO 
years  ago,  was  attached  to  the  Viceroyalty  of  New  Granada. 

With  the  transformation  of  the  great  empire  of  the  Incas  into 
the  Viceroyalty  of  Peru,  after  its  conquest  by  Pizarro,  this  city 
of  Panama  became  the  port  of  transhipment  of  the  enormous 
wealth  in  gold,  silver  (of  near  value  in  those  days),  and  emeralds 
which  were  poured  into  Spain  as  a  result  of  the  spoliation  of  the 
Inca  temples  and  the  palaces  of  the  nobility.  It  was  also  the 
great  entrepot  through  which  the  imports  from  the  mother  country 
were  distributed  among  the  colonies  to  the  south.  At  the  height 
of  its   importance,   it  outclassed   even   the   Viceregal   capital   of 


105 


Peru  in  splendor  and  social  as  well  as  commercial  activity,  and 
was  long  spoken  of  as  the  richest  and  most  luxurious  city  in  the 
world  —  a  preeminence  that  was  to  depart  only  with  its  destruc- 
tion by  the  romantic  buccaneer,  Sir  Henry  Morgan,  in  1671. 

Two  years  afterward,  in  1673,  a  new  walled  Panama  was 
founded  on  the  little  coral  peninsula  below  the  hill  of  Ancon, 
some  six  miles  from  the  old  site  and  strongly  fortified  against 
further  attacks.  For  nearly  200  years,  until  the  construction  of 
the  railroad  across  the  Isthmus  (1848-1855),  the  old  forest  and 
palm-bordered,  stone-paved  highway  from  the  capital  to  Porto 
Bello  on  the  Caribbean  side  continued  to  be  the  thoroughfare 
over  which  much  of  Spain's  commerce  passed. 

It  was  not  until  the  eighteenth  century  that  the  flood  of  Peruvian 
treasure  began  gradually  to  subside  and  the  importance  of  that 
golden  gateway  of  the  Spaniards  began  to  wane.  At  that  period, 
as  a  consequence  of  her  deposition  from  European  supremacy, 
a  general  lethargy  had  set  in  throughout  Spain's  colonies.  With 
the  increasingly  insistent  efforts  of  other  powers  to  participate  in 
the  new-world  trade,  she  had  been  forced  to  place  an  embargo 
upon  their  ships  to  protect  her  monopoly,  which  had  long  before 
become  vested  in  a  group  of  Cadiz  merchants.  All  but  four  of 
the  ports  in  Central  and  South  America  were  closed  to  interna- 
tional traffic.  The  reawakening  came  only  when  the  revolu- 
tionary movement  spread  among  the  provinces  in  the  years  1809 
to  1824,  and  the  patience  of  the  colonists,  strained  to  the  breaking 
point  after  centuries  of  selfish  exploitation  of  their  resources  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Crown  and  its  favorites,  availed  themselves  of 
the  opportunity  afforded  by  the  disorders  caused  by  the  Napo- 
leonic regime  in  Spain  to  engage  in  a  continent-wide  struggle  for 
independence. 

Politically  and  commercially  as  well  as  geographically,  Panama 
occupied  by  that  time  a  largely  isolated  position,  for  she  was  then 
only  a  more  or  less  autonomous  appendage  of  the  Viceroyalty  of 
New  Granada  (which  embraced  what  is  now  Colombia  and  part 
of  what  afterwards  became  Ecuador),  and  was  denied  any  profit- 
able intercourse  with  the  capital  at  Bogota  by  its  location  on  a 
high  plateau  in  the  midst  of  almost  inaccessible  Andean  ranges. 
Still,  when  out  of  that  revolution  was  evolved,  in  1821,  Bolivar's 
great   Colombian   confederation,    made   up   of  the    Provinces   of 

106 


Venezuela,  New  Granada,  and  Ecuador,  Panama  chose  to  cast 
in  her  lot  with  that  republic  and  became  known  as  its  Department 
of  the  Isthmus.  In  1831,  the  year  following  Bolivar's  death,  the 
confederation  was  dissolved  and  out  of  it  emerged  the  separate 
republics  of  Venezuela,  Ecuador,  and  New  Granada,  Panama 
remaining  with  the  last  named. 

Later,  in  1858,  New  Granada  reverted  to  the  old  name  and 
became  known  as  the  United  States  of  Colombia.  Still  later,  in 
1886,  the  name  was  changed  to  Republic  of  Colombia,  the  one 
by  which  she  is  now  known  in  the  family  of  nations.  Panama 
continued  as  a  department  of  that  republic  for  a  period  of  eighty- 
two  years  —  from  1821  to  1903.  The  present  republic  was  pro- 
claimed on  the  3d  of  November,  1903. 

From  the  viewpoint  of  our  own  times  and  with  reference  to 
their  effect  on  the  world  at  large,  perhaps,  the  most  interesting 
events  in  the  history  of  Panama  since  her  separation  from  Spain 
are  those  connected  with  the  efforts  to  establish  a  water  commu- 
nication through  from  the  Caribbean  to  the  Pacific.  The  search 
for  a  natural  waterway  was  the  real  aim  of  many  of  the  famous 
maritime  exploits  that  followed  immediately  the  discovery  made 
by  Columbus  himself  that  the  Isthmus  was  a  barrier  which  barred 
the  short  route  to  Cathay  and  the  spice  islands  of  the  Indies. 
His  failure  to  penetrate  it  did  not  carry  conviction.  It  seemed 
impossible  that  nature  could  have  played  such  a  trick  as  com- 
pletely to  close  the  route  to  these  desirable  places,  which  were 
then  thought  to  be,  not  on  the  far  side  of  another  and  greater 
ocean  than  the  Atlantic,  but  only  a  short  distance  beyond  the  new 
land  which  had  been  found.  Several  of  the  early  cartographers, 
selecting  the  narrow  strip  at  Panama,  actually  went  so  far  as  to 
depict  an  imaginary  "Strait  of  Panama"  on  their  maps.  One 
was  shown  by  Waldseemiiller,  for  instance,  on  the  map  he  pub- 
lished in  1507. 

Columbus's  former  shipmate,  Vicente  Yafiez  de  Pinzon, 
sought  such  a  strait  from  the  Amazon  to  Florida.  Juan  de  la 
Cosa  and  Amerigo  Vespucci  were  disappointed  to  find  that  neither 
the  Gulf  of  Uraba  (Darien)  nor  the  Atrato  River  disclosed  it. 
Juan  de  Solis  was  in  search  of  it  when  he  was  killed  by  the  natives 
in  the  Rio  de  la  Plata.  From  Newfoundland  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  the  Cabots  tried  to  beat  the  Spaniards  through  by  way 

107 


io8 


of  some  northern  passage.  In  1524  the  Florentine  Giovanni  de 
Verrazano,  saiHng  under  the  patronage  of  Francis  L  of  France, 
tried  the  Chesapeake,  which  for  a  space  bore  the  name  "Mare 
Verrazano"  in  his  honor,  and  Jaques  Carrier  in  1534,  and  after- 
wards other  Frenchmen,  explored  the  St.  Lawrence.  For  the 
Dutch,  Henry  Hudson  essayed  the  river  that  was  named  for  him. 
From  1553  to  16 1 2,  the  Englishmen  Willoughby,  Thorne,  Sir 
Martin  Frobisher,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  John  Davis,  and  Cap- 
tain John  Smith  continued  the  quest.  Even  the  Jamestown 
colonists  of  1607  were  directed  to  seek  it  by  way  of  the  rivers  in 
that  region. 

Meanwhile  Magellan  had  found  a  way  through  at  the  southern 
end  of  the  continent  to  the  south  and  sailed  across  the  Pacific, 
but  it  was  thousands  of  miles  from  the  Isthmus  and  so  narrow 
and  so  near  the  stormy  Antarctic  Sea  that  it  was  too  perilous  for 
general  commercial  use  before  the  days  of  modern  shipping. 
And  so,  after  all  this  labor  and  many  lives  had  been  sacrificed  in 
vain,  it  was  found  that  if  there  was  to  be  a  short  and  practicable 
means  of  communication  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  by 
water  it  must  be  cut  through  by  the  hand  of  man. 

Naturally  it  was  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  that  was  chiefly 
centered  upon  as  the  most  available  site  for  the  undertaking.  It 
is  amusing,  however,  to  read  that  more  than  a  century  before  this 
conclusion  was  reached  a  governor  of  the  province  (Pascual  de 
Audagoga),  amazed  by  a  decree  of  Charles  V.  ordering  a  survey 
of  the  country  between  the  Chagres  River  and  the  South  Sea 
(as  Balboa  had  dubbed  the  Pacific),  had  admonished  the  emperor 
that  the  project  could  only  have  been  advised  by  a  man  of  scanty 
intellect,  for  no  prince,  however  powerful  he  might  be,  was 
capable  of  accomplishing  a  union  between  the  two  oceans  in  a 
region  so  mountainous  and  wild! 

This  spirited  reply  seems  to  have  put  a  quietus  on  the  plan  for 
an  Isthmian  Canal  so  far  as  Spain  was  concerned.  Afterwards, 
at  various  times,  England  and  France  manifested  great  interest 
in  it,  but  the  government  of  the  United  States,  apparently,  did 
not  begin  to  consider  the  matter  until  1835.  On  the  3d  of  March 
of  that  year,  at  the  instance  of  Henry  Clay,  the  Senate,  by  resolu- 
tion, requested  President  Jackson  to  take  under  advisement  the 
expediency  of  negotiating  with  New  Granada  and  the  Central 

109 


FAMOUS    CHAGRES    RIVER   AT   FLOOD   WITH   WRECK   OF 
OLD   FRENCH   DREDGE 

American  republics  respecting  such  a  canal,  and  the  President 
commissioned  Mr.  Charles  Biddle  to  investigate  and  report  as  to 
the  availability  of  the  various  routes. 

Nothing  came  of  this  at  the  time,  nor  until  attention  was 
directed  again  to  the  project  in  1846,  when,  by  the  settlement  of 
the  northwest  boundary  dispute  with  England,  and  as  a  result  of 
the  Mexican  war,  the  United  States  came  into  possession  of 
Oregon,  California,  and  the  territory  north  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
Then,  impressed  by  the  need  of  making  these  new  possessions 
more  accessible  from  the  Eastern  States,  Messrs.  Aspinwall, 
Stephens,  and  Chauncy,  all  North  Americans,  secured  from  the 
New  Granadan  government,  in  1848,  a  franchise  to  construct  a 
railroad  between  the  town  of  Colon  (for  a  time  called  Aspinwall) 
and  the  city  of  Panama.  In  the  year  following,  the  gold  rush  of 
the  "Forty-niners"  to  California  added  impetus  to  the  work  and 
the  new  land  route,  now  the  famous  Panama  Railroad,  was 
opened  to  general  traffic  in  1855.  But  still  in  the  United  States 
the  great  waterway  project  hung  fire.  President  Grant's  message 
to  Congress  on  the  subject,  in  1869,  brought  forth  no  more 
definite  action  than  a  resolution  providing  for  an  exploration  of 
the  Isthmian  route  by  officers  of  the  navy,  and  later,  in  1872, 
authority  for  the  creation  of  a  commission  to  consider  the  reports. 

In  May,  1876,  however,  Colombia  granted  a  concession  for  the 
construction  of  the  canal  by  way  of  Panama  to  Lieut.  Lucien 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  Wyse,  an  officer  in  the  French  army.     This 


concession  Lieut.  Wyse  sold  to  a  group  of  French  financiers,  who, 
because  of  the  prestige  he  had  acquired  by  reason  of  his  bril- 
Hant  success  at  Suez,  persuaded  Count  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps 
to  join  them  as  chief  engineer.  De  Lesseps  went  out  to  the 
Isthmus  in  1879,  and,  having  gone  over  the  ground  with  his 
experienced  eye,  pronounced  in  favor  of  the  undertaking  and 
determined  on  the  course  between  Colon  and  Panama  City  over 
which  the  United  States  Government  was  afterwards  to  under- 
take the  completion  of  the  canal.  Early  in  1881  these  French- 
men organized  La  Compagnie  Universelle  du  Canal  Intero- 
ceanique  (known  also  as  the  Panama  Canal  Co.),  to  own  the 
concessions  and  carry  through  the  undertaking. 

In  1889,  after  eight  years  of  active  work,  this  company  went 
into  bankruptcy  and  a  new  one  that  succeeded  it  in  1894  was 
enabled  to  resume  operations  only  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  keep 
alive  its  franchise. 

On  the  1 8th  of  November,  1901,  the  now  famous  Hay-Paunce- 
fote  Treaty  was  concluded  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain,  and  proclaimed  February  22,  1902.  It  was  intended  to 
supersede  the  Clayton-Bulwer  treaty  signed  in  1850  (when  the 
two  governments  were  contemplating  a  joint  interest  in  American 
canal  projects)  and  to  facilitate  the  construction  of  a  canal  over 
any  expedient  route,  and  "to  remove  any  objection  which  may 
arise  out  of  the  Convention  of  19th  April,  1850,  commonly  called 


Mr-'' 


OLD  FRENCH  DUMP  CAR  THROUGH  WHICH  HAS  GROWN  A  LARGE  BANYAN  TREE 


the  Clayton-Bulwer  treaty,  to  the  construction  of  such  canal 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  with- 
out impairing  the  'general  principle'  of  neutralization  estab- 
lished in  Article  VIII  of  that  Convention." 

As  the  Hay-Pauncefote  treaty  has  been  involved  recently  in 
serious  diplomatic  discussion  between  its  signatories,  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain,  arising  out  of  the  former's  proposed 
tolls  for  the  Panama  Canal,  the  clauses  of  that  treaty  involved  in 
the  discussion  are  given  below: 

Article  III:  "The  United  States  adopts,  as  the  basis  of 
neutralization  of  such  ship  canal,  the  following  rules,  substan- 
tially as  embodied  in  the  Convention  of  Constantinople,  signed 
the  28th  October,  1888,  for  the  free  navigation  of  the  Suez  Canal, 
that  is  to  say : 

"i.  The  canal  shall  be  free  and  open  to  vessels  of  commerce 
and  of  war  of  all  nations  observing  these  Rules,  on  terms  of 
entire  equality,  so  that  there  shall  be  no  discrimination  against 
any  such  nation,  or  its  citizens  or  subjects,  in  respect  of  the  con- 
ditions, or  charges  of  traffic,  or  otherwise.  Such  conditions  and 
charges  of  traffic  shall  be  just  and  equitable." 

Article  IV:  "It  is  agreed  that  no  change  of  territorial  sov- 
ereignty or  of  the  international  relations  of  the  country  or  coun- 
tries traversed  by  the  beforementioned  canal  shall  affect  the 
general  principle  of  neutralization  or  the  obligation  of  the  High 
Contracting  Parties  under  the  present  Treaty." 

In  1902,  under  the  administration  of  President  Roosevelt, 
the  Government  of  the  United  States,  which  had  become  more 
than  ever  interested  and  had  had  under  consideration  the  con- 
struction of  a  canal  through  Nicaragua,  concluded  to  take  up  the 
work  in  Panama  if  satisfactory  arrangements  could  be  made  with 
the  French  company  for  the  acquiring  of  its  rights.  As  a  result 
of  the  report  of  a  commission  of  which  Admiral  John  G.  Walker 
was  chairman,  Congress,  by  the  act  of  the  28th  of  June,  1902, 
known  as  the  "Spooner  Act,"  authorized  the  purchase,  provided 
the  French  company  would  sell  out  for  a  sum  not  exceeding  $40,- 
000,000  and  that  arrangements  could  be  made  with  Colombia 
for  the  control  of  the  right  of  way;  otherwise,  the  alternative 
route  (Nicaragua)  recommended  by  the  "Walker  Commission," 
should  be  adopted. 


It  was  pending  these  negotiations,  on  the  3d  of  November, 
1903,  that  Panama  declared  her  separation  from  Colombia  and 
became  an  independent  republic.  W.  I.  Buchanan,  the  eminent 
Latin  American  authority,  was  named  special  United  States 
envoy  to  Panama,  and  P.  Bunau-Varilla,  first  Minister  of 
Panama  to  Washington.  On  the  28th  of  November,  1903,  the 
French  company  having  agreed  to  sell  for  the  stipulated  price, 
the  Hay-Bunau-Varilla  treaty  between  the  new  republic  and 
the  United  States  was  signed.  It  was  promulgated  on  the  26th 
of  February,  1904.  Under  its  terms  ^10,000,000  was  paid  to 
the  government  of  Panama  for  the  right  of  way  and  an  annual 
rental  of  ^250,000  agreed  upon,  to  begin  nine  years  after  date. 
The  United  States  guaranteed  the  independence  of  Panama  and 
secured  absolute  control  over  what  is  now  known  as  the  Canal 
Zone,  a  strip  of  land  ten  miles  wide  extending  from  Colon  to 
Panama  City,  through  the  center  of  which  runs  the  course  of  the 
great  waterway.  The  French  company's  franchise  and  property 
rights  were  purchased  at  the  figure  stated  in  the  act  of  Congress 
and  the  formal  transfer  to  the  United  States  was  made  on  the 
4th  of  May,  1904. 

Six  days  after  the  promulgation  of  the  treaty  President  Roose- 
velt, acting  under  authority  of  the  Spooner  Act,  appointed  the 
body  known  as  the  Isthmian  Canal  Commission  to  have  charge 
of  canal  construction.  The  appointment  was  confirmed  by  the 
Senate  on  the  3d  of  March,  1904.  Of  the  seven  members  of 
which  it  was  composed,  Rear-Admiral  John  G.  Walker  (the  same 


OLD    FRENCH    CARS    AND    MACHINERY 


113 


who  had  served  on  the  earHer  commission)  was  made  Chairman 
and  Maj.-Gen.  George  W.  Davis,  Civil  Governor  of  the 
Canal  Zone.  They  reached  the  Isthmus  on  the  17th  of  May  and 
two  days  later,  by  an  appropriate  proclamation,  took  formal 
possession  in  the  name  of  the  United  States.  On  the  ist  of  June, 
1904,  John  Findley  Wallace,  formerly  general  manager  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  was  appointed  Engineer  in  Chief  and 
repaired  at  once  to  the  Isthmus.  There  also  went  Col.  W. 
C.  Gorgas,  who  had  been  health  officer  at  Havana,  Cuba, 
during  the  occupation  by  United  States  troops  following  the 
Spanish  war,  and,  with  the  preliminary  operations  on  the  canal 
itself,  the  all-important  work  of  sanitation  was  begun. 

In  the  fall  of  1904,  when  I  was  United  States  Minister 
to  Panama,  William  H.  Taft,  then  Secretary  of  War,  visited  the 
Isthmus  accompanied  by  William  Nelson  Cromwell  and  Charles 
E.  Magoon  for  the  purpose  of  adjusting  many  delicate  and 
important  questions  which  had  naturally  arisen  between  the 
Government  of  Panama  and  that  of  the  Canal  Zone.  These 
three  assisted  by  Governor  Davis  and  myself  held  numerous 
conferences  with  President  Amador  Guerrero  of  Panama  and 
the  members  of  his  cabinet  until  all  questions  at  issue  were 
satisfactorily  settled.  In  these  discussions  the  great  tact,  amia- 
bility, and  judgment  of  Mr.  Taft  were  most  potent  factors  for  a 
harmonious  agreement. 

The  Commission  was  reorganized  by  executive  order  of  April 
I,  1905.  In  the  new  personnel,  Theodore  P.  Shonts  became 
Chairman  of  the  Commission,  and  John  F.  Wallace  was  appointed 
Chief  Engineer  and  Charles  E.  Magoon,  Civil  Governor.  The 
other  four  members  were  Admiral  Mordecai  T.  Endicott,  Gen. 
Peter  C.  Haines,  Col.  Ernst,  and  Benjamin  M.  Harrod.  On  the 
28th  of  June  of  the  same  year,  Mr.  Wallace  resigned  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  John  F.  Stevens,  who  entered  upon  his  new  duties 
on  the  1st  of  July,  1905.  Later,  by  order  of  March  4,  1907, 
he  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Commission  in  the  place  of 
Mr.  Shonts,  who  had  resigned,  and  Col.  George  Washington 
Goethals,  of  the  Army  Engineer  Corps,  was  appointed  to 
the  vacancy.  Mr.  Stevens,  in  turn,  resigned  on  the  3d  of 
March,  1907,  whereupon  the  Government  determined  to  take  over 
the  work  itself,  and  on  the  ist  of  April,  1907,  Col.  Goethals  was 

114 


appointed  Chairman  and  Chief  Engineer.  By  a  further  order,  dated 
the  next  day,  he  was  also  made  Civil  Governor  of  the  Canal  Zone. 
Other  appointments  to  the  Commission  included  Col.  H.  F. 
Hodges,  Lieut.-Col.  D.  D.  Gaillard,  Lieut.-Col.  William  L.  Sibert, 
Civil  Engineer  H.  H.  Rousseau  of  the  navy.  Col.  W.  C.  Gor- 
gas,  Maurice  H.  Thatcher,  and  Joseph  Bucklin  Bishop,  Secretary. 
On  August  24,  1912,  the  "Panama  Canal  Act"  (see  also  page 
48)  w^as  approved,  providing  for  its  opening,  maintenance, 
operation,  and  protection,  also  that  "no  tolls  shall  be  levied  on 
vessels  engaged  in  the  coastv^ise  trade  of  the  United  States."  On 
the  13th  of  November,  19 12,  President  Taft,  under  the  authority 
conferred  by  the  act,  issued  a  proclamation  fixing  the  rates  to  be 
paid  by  other  vessels  as  follows : 

"i.  On  merchant  vessels  carrying  passengers  or  cargo, 
one  dollar  and  twenty  cents  (^1.20)  per  net  vessel  ton — each 
one  hundred  (100)  cubic  feet — of  actual  earning  capacity. 

"2.  On  vessels  in  ballast,  without  passengers  or  cargo, 
forty  (40)  per  cent,  less  than  the  rate  of  tolls  for  vessels  with 
passengers  or  cargo. 

"3.  Upon  naval  vessels,  other  than  transports,  colliers, 
hospital  and  supply  ships,  fifty  {50)  cents  per  displacement 
ton. 

"4.  Upon  army  and  navy  transports,  colliers,  hospital, 
and  supply  ships,  one  dollar  and  twenty  cents  ($1.20)  per 
net  ton,  the  vessels  to  be  measured  by  the  same  rules  as  are 
employed  in  determining  the  net  tonnage  of  merchant 
vessels." 


ELECTRIC    LOCOMOTIVES    TOWING    STEAMSHIP    THROUGH    LOCKS 


NEW   BUILDING   AND   HOME   OF   THE   PAN  AMERICAN   UNION 
IN   WASHINGTON,  D.  C,  U.  S.  A. 


JOHN   BARRETT  FRANCISCO   J.  YANES 

Director  General   of  the   Pan  American   Union        Assistant  Director  of  the  Pan  American  Union 


ii6 


THE   PAN   AMERICAN   UNION  AND   THIS   BOOK 
A   FINAL  WORD 

The  perusal  of  these  pages  may  perchance  awaken  the  reader's 
interest  in  the  countries,  peoples,  and  possibilities  of  Central  and 
South  America  and  of  the  other  Latin  American  nations  border- 
ing on  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which,  with  the 
United  States,  are  the  constituent  governments  forming  and 
maintaining  the  Pan  American  Union.  If  so,  he  is  requested 
to  get  in  touch  with  that  organization  at  its  headquarters  in 
Washington  and  secure  additional  publications  or  information 
concerning  Latin  America.  If  he  comes  to  Washington,  he  is 
invited  to  visit  its  beautiful  home,  sometimes  described  as  a 
"palace  of  peace  and  temple  of  commerce,"  which  is  both  a 
monument  to  the  great  principle  of  Pan  Americanism  and  the 
home  of  a  practical  office  for  the  development  of  international 
trade  and  comity. 

The  Pan  American  Union  and  its  staff  of  commercial  experts, 
statisticians,  translators,  compilers,  and  editors,  prepares  reports 
descriptive  of  the  resources,  products,  foreign  trade,  material, 
and  educational  conditions  of  all  the  Latin  American  countries, 
and  publishes  a  monthly  bulletin,  with  editions  in  English, 
Spanish,  Portuguese,  and  French,  which  is  in  fact  an  illustrated 
magazine  of  Pan  American  progress.  On  application,  a  list  of 
all  of  its  publications  will  be  provided  to  the  person  asking  for 
them  or  forwarded  to  his  address.  If  it  is  desired  to  secure  extra 
copies  of  this  handbook  on  the  Panama  Canal,  or  to  send  them 
to  other  persons,  they  can  be  obtained  for  one  dollar  a  copy, 
postage  prepaid,  by  addressing  "Publicity  Department,  Pan 
American  Union,  Washington,  D.  C,  U.  S.  A.,"  marking  the 
envelope  "Panama  Handbook."  As  only  a  limited  number  of 
copies  is  printed,  orders  should  be  sent  in  as  soon  as  possible. 


"G£r  READY  FOR  THE  PANAMA  CANAL" 


117 


BRIEF    BIBLIOGRAPHY 

BOOKS 

Abbot,  Henry  L.  :    Problems  of  the  Panama  Canal;   New  York,  1907. 
Barrett,  John:    Pan  American  Union;    Peace,  Friendship,  Commerce;    Wash- 
ington, 191 1.    Panama  Canal,  What  It  Is,  What  It  Means;  Washington,  1913. 
Baxter,  Jr.,  W.  M. :   The  Panama  Canal;  Mount  Hope,  C.  Z.,  1912. 
Bristow,  Joseph  L.  :    Report;  Washington,  1905. 
Bryce,  James:    South  America;    pages  4,  5,  18-36,  N.  Y.,  1912. 

BuLLARD,  Arthur:    Panama;     *     *     *     by  Albert  Edwards   (pseud.);  N.  Y., 
1911. 

Cornish,  Vaughn:   The  Panama  Canal  and  Its  Makers;    Boston,  1909. 
Currier,  C.  W.  :    Lands  of  the  Southern  Cross;     *     *     *     Washington,  1901, 
pages  351-364. 

Goethals,  George  W.  :    Address,    The    Isthmian    Canal;     numerous    reports; 
Washington,  1909-13. 

Grier,  Thomas  Graham:    On  the  Canal  Zone;   Chicago,  1908. 

Hall,  Alfred  B.  :    Panama  and  the  Canal;  New  York,  1910;  Isthmian  Tourists' 
Guide  and  Business  Directory;  Ancon,  1912. 

Johnson,  Emory  R.  :    Panama    Canal   Traffic    and    Tolls;    Washington,    1912. 
Report;     *     *     *     Washington,  191 1;    also  Special  Reports,  1912. 

Johnson,  Willis:    Four  Centuries  of  the  Panama  Canal;   New  York,  1906. 

Knox,  Philander  C.  :  Addresses,  Washington,  1909-1912. 

Lindsay,  Forbes:    Panama,  the    Isthmus  and    the    Canal,  Philadelphia,  1911. 

Panama  and  the  Canal  To-day;    Boston,  1910. 
Pennell,  Joseph:    Pictures  of  the  Panama  Canal;    Philadelphia,  1912. 
Pensa,  Henri:    La  Republique  et  le  Canal  de  Panama;    Paris,  1906. 
Pepper,  Charles  M.  :    Panama  to  Patagonia;   Chicago,  1906,  pages  1-21. 
Porter,  Robert  H.:    The  Ten  Republics;    London,  1911,  pages  97-108. 
Robinson,  Tracy:    Fifty  Years  at  Panama,  1861-1911;   New  York,  1 912.    . 
Root,  Elihu:    The  Ethics  of  the  Panama  Question;  New  York,  1904. 
Scott,  William  R.:    The  Americans  in  Panama;  New  York,  1912. 
Shonts,  Theodore  P.:    Speech   January  20,  1906;    Speech,  January  24,  1907; 

Speech,  January  26,  1907.     (All  Washington.) 
Stevens,  Walter  B.  :    A  Trip  to  Panama;     *     *     *     St.  Louis,  1907. 
Sullivan,  Cromwell  :    (Comp.)    Compilation    on    Executive    Documents    and 

Diplomatic  Correspondence  Relative  to  a  Transoisthmian  Canal  in  Central 

America;  New  York,  1905. 
Van  Dyke,  Harry:   Through   South   America;    New  York,   1912,  pages,  XV- 

XVII  of  Introduction  and  page  420. 
Weir,  Hugh  C.  :   The  Conquest  of  the  Isthmus;  New  York,  1909. 

118 


UNITED    STATES    OFFICIAL    DOCUMENTS 
Act  to  provide  for  the  opening,  maintenance,  protection,  and  operation  of  the 
Panama  Canal,  and  the  sanitation  and  government  of  the  Canal  Zone.     Ap- 
proved by  the  U.  S.  Congress,  August  24,  1912. 
Convention  between  the  United  States  and  Panama  for  the  Construction  of  a  Ship 
Canal;  Washington,  1904. 

between  the  United  States  and  Colombia  for  the  Construction  of  a 

Ship  Canal,  etc.;  Washington,  1903. 

between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  to  facilitate  the  Con- 


struction of  a  Ship  Canal;    November  18,  1901.     (Hay-Pauncefote  treaty.) 

Board  of  Consulting  Engineers:    Report;  Washington,  1905. 

Department  of  Justice:    Panama  Canal  Title;  Washington,  1902. 

Isthmian  Canal  Commission:  Preliminary  Report,  1900;  Annual  Reports, 
1904-1912;  The  Canal  Record,  weekly;  Ancon,  C.  Z.;  Civil  Code,  Wash- 
ington, 1905;  Civil  Procedure,  Washington,  1905;  Laws  of  the  Canal  Zone, 
first  issue,  Act  i,  August  16,  1904;  Report  of  the  Chief  Engineer,  Washington, 
1905;  Report  of  Chief  Sanitary  Officer,  Washington,  1905;  Report  of  Depart- 
ment of  Health,  monthly,  Washington;  Report  of  Engineering  Committee, 
Washington,  1905;  other  reports,  1904-1912. 

President:  Message  *  *  *  transmitting  a  statement  of  action  in  executing 
the  act  entitled  "An  Act  to  Provide  for  the  Construction  of  a  Canal  Con- 
necting the  Waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans";  Washington,  1904. 
Panama  Canal  Tolls;    other  messages,  1 903-1 91 2. 

PERIODICAL    REFERENCES 

Abbot,  H.  L.  :  Natural  Conditions  Affecting  the  Building  of  the  Panama  Canal; 
Eng.  Mag.,  New  York,  August,  1904. 

Authier,  George  F. :  Realizing  the  Dream  of  Panama;  Rev.  of  Rev.,  New 
York,  January,  1911. 

Ballivian,  Adolfo  :  Bolivia  Awaits  Opening  of  Panama  Canal;  Exporters  Rev., 
New  York,  May,  1912. 

Barrett,  John:  Effect  of  the  Panama  Canal  on  U.  S.  Commerce;  address 
before  Southern  Commercial  Congress;  Bull,  of  the  Pan  Amer.  Union, 
December,  1909.  Panama  Canal  and  its  Problems;  Rev.  of  Rev.,  New  York, 
February,  1905.  Panama  Canal  and  its  Effect  on  the  World's  Trade;  Finan- 
cial Rev.  of  Rev.,  London,  October,  1912.  Tolls  of  the  Panama  Canal; 
Bull,  of  the  Pan  Amer.  Union,  December,  191 1;  other  articles,  1904-1913. 

Bishop,  Farnham:  End  of  the  Big  Job;  Century,  New  York,  December,  1912. 
Builder  of  the  Canal;  World's  Work,  New  York,  August,  1912.  The  Story 
of  Panama;    St.  Nicholas  Magazine,  New  York,  February,  1912. 

Bishop,  Joseph  Bucklin:  Wonderful  Panama  Canal;  French  at  Panama; 
World's  Plague  Spot  Abolished;  Benevolent  Despotism  at  Panama;  all  in 
Scribner's,  New  York,  191 3. 

Chapple,  Jose  Mitchell:  Canal  Zone  a  Proving  Ground  and  Social  Life  on 
the  Isthmus;  Nat.  Mag.,  New  York,  June,  July,  1910. 

Chappel,  Jose  Mitchell:  Panama  Canal  as  it  is;  National  Magazine,  New 
York,  June,  1912. 

119 


CoNANT,  Charles  A.:  Panama  Canal  in  Relation  to  Commerce  and  Transpor- 
tation;   Amer.  Industries,  New  York,  June,  1912. 

Cornish,  Vaughan:  The  Panama  Canal  in  1908;  Geographical  Journal,  Lon- 
don, February,  1909. 

FoRTESCUE,  Granville:  Present  Progress  on  Panama  Canal;  Bull,  of  the  Pan 
Amer.  Union,  December,  191 1.  Via  Panama,  What  the  Opening  of  the 
Panama  Canal  Means  to  U.  S.  Business  Men;  Bull,  of  the  Nat.  Asso.  of 
Credit  Men,  New  York,  July,  1912.  When  the  Canal  is  Cut;  Metropolitan, 
New  York,  August,  1912. 

GoETHALS,  Geo.  W.  :  The  Panama  Canal;  Nat.  Geographic  Mag.,  Washing- 
ton, February,  1911.  The  Panama  Canal;  Nat.  Geographic  Mag.,  Washing- 
ton, April,  1909. 

Hale,  William  Bayard:  A  Picture  of  the  Canal;  World's  Work,  New  York, 
August,  1912. 

Hutchinson,  L.:  Comparison  of  the  Panama  and  Magellan  Routes  to  Western 
South  America;    Bull,  of  the  Pan  Amer.  Union,  September,  1906. 

Johnson,  Emory:  The  Panama  Canal  and  its  Commercial  Aspects;  Bull,  of 
the  Amer.  Georgaphic  Soc,  December,  1903.  Panama  Canal  and  the  Com- 
merce of  the  U.  S.;  Sci.  Amer.,  November  9,  191 2.  Panama  Canal,  Its  Prob- 
able Effect  on  Commerce;  Times,  Lond.,  So.  Amer.  Suppl.,  July  30,  1912. 
Panama  Canal  and  Transcontinental  Traffic;  Railway  and  Marine  News, 
Seattle,  September,  15,  1912. 

Laut,  Agnes  C:  Preparation  on  the  Pacific  for  Panama;  What  the  Big  Harbors 
are  Doing;  Rev.  of  Rev.,  New  York,  December,  191 1.  Southern  Ports  Prepa- 
ration for  Panama;  Nat.  Waterways  Mag.,  Washington,  November,  1912. 
What  the  West  Expects  from  Panama;   Rev.  of  Revs.,  New  York,  July,  1912. 

Lindsay,  Forbes:  The  Prospective  Panama  Canal;  Lippincott's,  New  York, 
January,  1912.  Situation  at  Panama;  Rev.  of  Revs.,  New  York,  April,  1909. 
The  Harvest  of  Tares;   Lippincott's;   New  York,  April,  191 1. 

Martin,  Percy  F.  :  The  Panama  Canal;  Engineer,  London,  Spec.  Sppl., 
June  9,  1911. 

Nelson,  Frank  L.  :  Practical  Side  of  the  Panama  Canal;  World  To-day,  New 
York,  June,  191 1. 

Peabody,  James:  Commercial  Value  of  the  Panama  Canal;  World  To-day, 
New  York,  November,  1910. 

Pepper,  Charles  M.  :  Lo  que  el  Canal  de  Panama  significa  para  la  America 
Latina;    Foreign  Trade,  New  York,  March,  1910. 

Pezet,  F.  a.:  El  Canal  de  Panama;  Lo  que  su  apertura  significa  para  el  Peru; 
Ilustracion  Peruana,  Lima,  November  i,  191 1  and  cont.;  El  Canal  intero- 
ceano  de  Panama;  Boletin  del  Ministerio  de  Fomento,  Lima.,  January,  1909. 
Scientific  Amer.;  New  York,  Special  ed.,  November  9,  1912. 

Shonts,  Theodore  P. :  What  has  Been  AccompHshed  Toward  Building  the 
Panama  Canal;  Nat.  Geographic  Mag.,  Washington,  December,  1905. 
Panama  Canal;   Nat.  Geographic  Mag.,  Washington,  February,  1912. 

Showalter,  W.  J.:    Panama  Canal;   Nat.  Geographic  Mag.,  February,  1912. 

Taft,  William  Howard:  An  Answer  to  the  Panama  Critics;  McClure's,  New- 
York,  May,  1909;  World's  Work,  special  ed.,  August,  1912;  numerous  mes- 
sages and  proclamations,  1909-12. 

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